Immunity
by Gamerof1458
Summary: Jaune Arc didn't know what to think when he got paired with Yang Xiao Long as her roommate. Granted, he didn't know what to think when he found out how loud she could be at night. Still, he was an adaptable guy and took it all in stride. So now why is it that she keeps stealing his jacket? And why does she hide in wait on his bed and beg him to have some fun?
1. His Side

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, I do not own the cover picture nor the original conceived premise but damned if it isn't something that I would love to see. More at the bottom!

* * *

Jaune Arc was a man of many things.

He was a ladies man (self-proclaimed), defender of the weak (self-proclaimed), and the Lord of the Dance (this one actually wasn't his fault but he didn't try that hard to deny it so it might as well be self-proclaimed).

In actual reality, he was in fact… the best punching bag this side of the prestigious college of Beacon, the most hardcore fanboy of video games that graced the earth, and secretly one of the greatest writers of his generation that had been reduced to smut with plot instead of plot with smut. Thankfully the last one was self-proclaimed and not that well known at all. Of all things, he kept that one under wraps, locked in a safe, buried in concrete at the bottom of the ocean floor. No one was gonna find out about his crazy ability to write apparently popular porn stories, no sir.

He had already enough social suicide done to his name and while the money was a nice addition, he kept it more as an emergency fund than anything.

All these traits and more were what made the man known as Jaune Arc himself. As much as he wished for a more positive light to be shone on his existence, he couldn't do anything to remedy his social status or inherent state of being. From the first day since he was accepted into the high-status academy known as Beacon he had been examined and judged. Sadly, it wasn't the great confident Alpha male that he tried to exhibit but instead the submissive little boy that circulated the rumor mill and eventually became synonymous with truth.

It wasn't his fault. Mostly. Probably. Ok maybe he had a small hand in how his fellow student body saw him. Sure he went and made a faux-pass in his failed attempt to flirt and court a certain Schnee Heiress. And yes, he did pick a fight with the biggest meathead this side of the country and soundly had his ass handed to him. And let's not forget the moment when he ended up emptying his stomach due to a bad car ride…right onto the Headmaster himself.

Jaune was surprised he got off so lightly. He was expecting to be expelled on the spot but instead got a month of detention with the Hardass Glynda Goodwitch. Compared to losing out on the chance of a lifetime, doing hard labor and getting smacked with a riding crop was pretty minor.

So in the end, with these three major events coloring his record, Jaune Arc settled into his lowly status with all the grace of a bird.

One that had a broken wing and gone through a few glass windows.

Still it wasn't all bad. He also had a great roommate. Or well, as great as roommates as the infamous Yang Xiao Long could be. It was like comparing day to night between the two but due to a technical error in the computer system and the delayed realization of what happened along with a nice helping of no more rooms, Jaune and Yang became Beacon's first official co-ed dorm mates. And while the staff tutted about propriety between a man and a woman and all of Yang's friends shrieked about how she was gonna be molested by the creepy Arc, the blonde woman took it all in stride and made no big deal about living with the man.

Yang Xiao Long. What a lady. She was the most popular woman on campus simply because of who she was and her personality instead of something like family connections or special quirks. Course it probably helped matters that the one thing that was widely accepted was that she was the toughest fighter around and the only thing that stuck out more than her wonderful bosom or her luscious flowing hair was how big of a sexual drive she possessed. Male or female, it didn't matter to her so long as you were willing to spend the night in her wonderful company. Which a lot of people were. And Jaune got to live in close proximity of all that? Where was the contract?

Of course there was ground rules put in place by her decree. All of them beneficial to her and neutral to him at best. She got the shower and all the hot water, she got to have friends and companions over while he had to go out, any and all messes were his duty, the list went on. Jaune didn't make a sound, giddy with the thought of sharing a room with someone as hot and beautiful as her.

The novelty wore off the first week when he could no longer enjoy hot showers or sleep at a normal hour because of how loud and energetic Yang could be when she had her friends over. Still, it was the hand life had dealt him and Jaune Arc could adapt. Ten years of living with eight women and one man followed by a sabbatical of old family friends of the most colorful individuals ever prepared him for this.

Just like the novelty though, the blushing and stuttering and awkwardness of living with such a passionate woman with a voracious appetite for both sexes just washed away and simply left him with no real modesty or issues when it came to dealing with Yang's antics. He accepted everything she did and took it all in stride.

In the early days when he would be cooking breakfast, he learned to actually make enough for three. The morning meal was usually shared between him, Yang, and her latest beau. He actually even remembered a few faces and picked up a few recipes that endeared him to a few of the lovers but never got him more than a thanks and a pat on the head like he was some dog. And it was something Yang grew accustomed to.

The rare times he couldn't cook, Yang was noted to be a bit more irritable those days. The first time he was ever really insulted over his cooking, he had offered breakfast to one of Yang's first time acquaintances. The girl had thought he had laced the food with something and was planning devious things. The young man gave said lady such a deadpan stare before he simply upended his plate of food into the trash and left without a word. He came back later to a mess in the kitchen and living room, the food he made for Yang untouched and a mess of clothes and cushions strewn about.

That was the day he learned that Yang, for all her antics, was also quite loyal to those who did right by her. He never saw that woman again and last he heard she had become a social outcast. Jaune simply made a more extravagant spread the next day in a way of apology and Yang made her usual remarks about rewarding him with kisses or possibly a nice little peep show like when she got done in the shower.

All the times when Yang would come out of the shower in nothing but a form hugging towel became so common that he stopped associating such a thing with prudish behavior. He didn't even blink twice when the party girl took to wearing nothing but undergarments for a week. And when Yang teased him about how he should do the same, he just calmly shook his head and gave a smirk before telling her that he didn't want to ruin her eye sight with his hideous body.

A true lie of course. He just didn't want to explain the scars…even if they were hidden under all the wonderful body paint his friend back home had given him.

He realized at some point that his behavior must have been getting to her. Probably as some sort of test about his intentions. While she got a good laugh at his blushing and normal hormonal reactions, he adapted quickly enough and just stopped reacting period. This only seem to spur her on more as the initial playful words and tantalizing views became more risqué and common. He even walked in on her one time fully in the buff but didn't realize it until Yang's little sister caught an eyeful of the same thing and screeched just as he left.

He made sure to apologize profusely after that and even baked a mountain of cookies for Ruby to make sure the young girl didn't go around spouting out about what happened lest he have an army of people descend upon him and force him to fight for his life. Yang had a really strange look on her face after that though and seemed to be thinking hard about something.

So it went on as such that Jaune Arc simply lived out his freshman year in relative comfort. He made friends that tolerated his presence, went to classes and did slightly above average, threw his name around and attracted the bullies onto him to let others get away, and learned to ignore all the flirting and noises Yang did. He was content to just follow the four year plan, grab his degree, and just head home. Maybe he would become a published author, maybe a chef, possibly a professional gamer, or even a fighter who wouldn't go down.

Bah, who was he kidding? He had one clear path and there wasn't anything that was going to deter him from it.

It didn't really matter to him, he had plenty of excitement waiting back home.

Jaune Arc was a man of many things. He was a fighter (when it mattered), a writer (of some really hardcore stuff), a cook (legacy of a misspent home economics course), and a gamer (live by the Konami code, die by the Konami code).

He also...was now immune to the charms of one Yang Xiao Long.

Still, even he didn't see what came next. For all his lack of experience with relationships, his inability to read the mood, or just plain aptitude to categorize things into routine, he never thought his self-made immunity to all the things Xiao Long did would bite him in the ass like this.

=Immunity=

It was late, the dorm room eerily quiet. Jaune supposed Yang had simply just taken her usual romps to somewhere more spacious or possibly was getting the lovers spoil treatment. Course, she could also just be spending it with her single friends that had no attraction to her. It must be tiring to be fooling around everyday.

The young man yawned, stretching out his arms and heading to his cramped but homely room. He could probably get a few games going, maybe send a message home and see if anyone wanted to chat. All his on-site friends had plans and he didn't feel like becoming the third wheel to someone and intruding on what could be a perfect moment.

Though now that he thought about it, it was a bit weird how EVERYONE said they were going to go on some date. Was today significant for couples or something?

"Oooh, Jaune. Is that you?"

The young man blinked, ears pricking up as he strained to hear. Interesting enough, he could make out someone in his room by the dim lights underneath the doorway.

"Oh dang it Yang," Jaune called out, "I know you said you christened every surface in this place, my bed included, but could you at least have decided on round two of my room some other time? I wanted to play some games tonight."

He pushed open his door and beheld the scene before him. Dozens of tiny candles dotted the nightstand next to his bed, illuminating the breathtaking view on his bed. Yang was facing him, dressed in nothing but some lingerie, rose petals and pillows scattered around as if to make a throne for the woman. Her beautiful body and sultry look was put into full focus for him, her hands running through her voluminous hair as she seemed to jut out and offer herself fully to whoever would take her.

Jaune made an executive decision right then and there. He needed to get the hell out now. Whoever Yang had over with her dressed like that obviously was going to violently eject him regardless so he mind as well wrap up for the weather outside. He had forgotten what holiday it was but it made sense now and while he was used to Yang's energetic love making, he didn't want to third wheel tonight at all.

"Jaune~ Happy Valentine's Day."

Jaune paused, hand still on the door knob and in the process of pushing his door open, taking in the scene before him. There was silence for one full minute before he spoke.

"So…can I have my jacket back?"

* * *

Hello there folks! Gamer coming back at you again with another RWBY story! Now this time it's a little different. See there's this guy, this great artist known as Exvnir on DA. He does some really really amazing RWBY stuff that I've been following since he started. And now I have the pleasure of writing a fanfiction based on one of these pictures. Specifically the one named Derection. If it wasn't obvious then I'm saying it now, this is an Alternate Universe.

If you're interested, go ahead and go take a look at his stuff. And if you're really interested, let me know what you think in the reviews.

Besides that, I'm just gonna steal Exvnir's ol' saying now.

Enjoy this crappy fanfic I made with DEEZ HANDZ


	2. Her Side

Yang was a woman of many things.

She was the strongest fighter (given), Hotter than the frickin' sun (given), the Ardent Lover (This was just silly. Sure she got passionate and could set fire to anyone's lust but it sounded dumb. Still, it was given) and much more.

She didn't care about any of that. She didn't care what the campus said or what they told stories about concerning her epic exploits. She cared only about one thing and one thing only.

To live life to the fullest.

Yang was a free spirt that flew around at hyper sonic speeds. From one subject to the next she would bounce to and fro, letting whatever caught her attention fan the flames of her passionate ambition before the next interest came along. Yang wanted to see all the sights, taste all the fruits of life, experience anything and everything she could.

She didn't care what the public thought of her and her pursuit of a wondrous life, she only cared that they didn't get in her way.

Which was why HIS sudden interference caught her attention.

When Yang first met Jaune, it was when she just finished enjoying a run with Sun Wukong. The kleptomaniac had swiped her books and led her on a chase through the campus grounds before she tackled him from behind and mockingly pummeled him. The cheeky grin the two blondes wore while all this was happening let those unfamiliar with the two that this was common.

Course, for those who just didn't seem to understand certain social cues or familiar with the two blonde and their antics, it made the situation quite awkward.

Awkward was a nice word. It summarized the encounter. Jaune Arc had been one of those foolish would be do-gooders that thought the shouts and yells she was making meant she was in distress.

Pfft, Yang Xiao Long does not become distressed.

So it was with some confusion that Jaune had dragged Professor Port to the main walkway outside and told the man that Sun had been harassing her. They spent ten minutes explaining to the bombastic professor that it was all in good fun and that no one was really hurt. Jaune himself was apologetic afterwards for making a big fuss out of the misunderstanding and her lowered opinion of him went from the inner core of the Earth to the outer core.

It wasn't much but if he didn't want such a low opinion, he should've minded his own business like everybody else did.

Still, she had heard of the fresh meat only in passing on campus. The arrival of new students was always a hot topic and some people even had betting pools based around gender, sexual orientation, how long they'll last before getting hurt, etc. She personally never really involved herself in such things but it was always fun to talk shop with her friends about those kinds of things.

And what a lovely talk it was.

Rarely had she seen the prudish Weiss Schnee ever so irritated. The heiress was known for her cold demeanor and holier than thou attitude but apparently a run in with Jaune Arc had cranked the dial to the eleven and jammed it permanently there. The freshman had, in the Ice Queen's words, somehow humiliated, insulted, embarrassed, and confused her to no end with each word that exited his mouth. While Yang could tell it was probably the overly sensitive Heiress being her usual self (coughcougheasilyoffendedbyeverythingcoughcough) she did get a nice deeper look in Jaune's character through discussion with the rest of her little circle of friends.

Reactions varied, impressions were different, but the general consensus was awkward but harmless creep. Ruby liked him enough to at least tolerate his presence in public and he somehow convinced Nora that sloths were the greatest animals ever and she should act like one. That had been an interesting week, not hearing any explosions of any sort. Everyone else would say that he wasn't anything special and that he would probably fade into obscurity after people stopped talking about Weiss' meltdown and subsequent tirade against him.

Yang herself seemed to lose interest and let it slip away, instead focusing on the plan for that night. The blonde bombshell licked her lips as she surveyed the cafeteria, eyes honing in and sizing up various potential partners as she felt her usual urges.

Not many people could explain just how 'thirsty' Yang Xiao Long was or how she had developed a taste for both sexes but not many people complained. Those who were graced with her attention and passion were allowed to spend the night in unending bliss, a tangle of arms and limbs, sampling all the delights of the flesh as Yang let loose her burning desire that plagued her since the first growth of hormones.

In the end, she chose a nice little sophomore girl that looked like she was due in for some fun.

The heavy petting and make-outs that dragged on as the two stumbled back to her dorm room was the precursor to something greater.

Which was why it was such a jarring moment to burst open her door to see an equally startled Jaune unpacking his suitcase with a clear deer in the headlights look on his face.

There had been the initial fuss raising and screaming about how he was a pervert trying to molest her (by the sophomore mind you) and how he had been so desperate he had broken into her room and that he was a loser no one liked (she secretly admitted to believing some of that actually).

Still, after threatening the boy, who had just slumped down into a blob of despair, she called up the closest teacher and told him the situation. The teacher in question, one Professor Oobleck, responded with confusion.

This was his assigned room…wasn't it?

in the end it really did boil down to the mistakes of the faculty. Jaune was just a bystander in the rumor storm that followed and while most of it centered around him and how he was the one at fault, he shook off the negative attention and just started to mesh in with the new interest,

He wasn't getting in that easily though, not on her watch. If she couldn't get the teachers to remove him, well she could make him want to leave. Yang liked having a whole room to herself and the idea of suddenly having to share it with a stranger that went longer than a night was in her opinion disagreeable.

So she started her special plan, Operation Get-The-Hell-Out-Nerd.

Yang had made the rules as biased as possible in hopes of making him quit. While she could tolerate Jaune for little bits of time, having him around for long periods of time didn't sound appealing and the rules were made to reflect that. He wasn't seen as a roommate in her eyes, more like a servant that you saw sparingly as they did all the chores you didn't want to.

So she made him cook, clean, study in the dark, shower with only cold, run errands across campus, do all the grocery shopping, stock up all the bathroom supplies etc. Every little thing she could think of foisting off onto him she did and she did without any remorse. She didn't need him around cramping her style damn it.

So it came to a big surprise when he didn't raise a single complaint about getting all the work. He just sighed, a sound she had long gotten used to, and set to work. Every day Yang would have the most comfortable time of her life in close contact with another human and it never involved anyone losing any clothes! His daily responsibilities were finished in record time after he got used to them and he would always have some treat ready or some lovely study tunes to jam out to that she couldn't help but like having around.

Even in the middle of the night when she bought people home, he was magically missing! She didn't even need to say anything or put up a signal, he was never home when she got frisky! (Later she found out it wasn't because he was secretly a ninja that ran away but in fact he just locked himself in his room and distracted himself with games).

It was baffling!

And it only got worse. For her.

She got addicted to his breakfast, the delicious morning meal that made the sunrise just so much more bearable. She was never without any drinks or snacks, always had the best seat in the house for movies, and he never seemed to bang the walls or throw furniture around to block out the sounds she made at night with her beaus! She had long gotten used to that happening when she first lived in the more public dorm rooms yet here was someone who not only didn't care but even acted like it was normal!

He started cooking breakfast for three people now because of her! Everyday! Without asking!

What. Was. This. Guy?

Jaune Arc was a piece of work and she never meant to really grow attached but she did! She couldn't help it! She was pretty sure Ice Princess herself would have her heart melted in a week of this treatment! It was like he took all his points in Charisma and social skills and invested them into being the perfect husband!

He really didn't help that matter when he showed that underneath his awkward little man exterior was someone quite capable of doing some touching things.

Like the one night where she stumbled in and collapsed on the sofa. She had been partying harder than usual after a test and even her great tolerance didn't protect her from the eventual overload. Her usual routine of bringing someone home was canned on the account that she herself struggled to even make the doorway. She had passed out in the living room, fully aware that waking up in the morning was going to bring a whole lot of problems.

But…it never really did. Because Jaune was there.

The moment she cracked open her eyes, she expected a severe burning wince but got cool shade because he was there. The moment she staggered to her feet and nearly toppled over in vertigo but was caught carefully because he was there. The moment when she had to purge her entire system from last night into the porcelain bowl, but didn't make a mess anywhere or on herself was because he was there.

She could count on one hand how many people were willing to hold her hair back as she vomited into the toilet, and two of them were bound by family obligation.

Jaune Arc had taken to his duties like a long time wizened butler of any wealthy family. He didn't complain, he didn't fail, he just did.

Yang realized it at some point but she really should've treated him better.

And that was disregarding one other problem.

She felt it rise up in her, the burning desire. Normally it would be quenched with just one or two romps but after a week of unsatisfied rendezvous, she realized what really became the target of her affections.

She didn't know how or when to tell him but one night she got quite the show when he came out of the shower in nothing but a towel.

It had been a busy night for both of them and she had taken a nap on the couch. The sound of the door opening roused her attention and she was about to say hello until her mouth dried up and she glued her eyes to the wondrous sight before her.

Jaune hadn't noticed at all. He was jamming out to his headphones and the music was set pretty high. Yang didn't complain because it allowed her to see the incredible full movement of his body as he danced his way to his room half naked. He was definitely not as scrawny as his hoodie led people to believe.

She felt her mouth drop open and drool leak out. Her eyes were glued to him.

And that was the moment where she knew she wanted Jaune Arc in her bed.

Yang Xiao Long embarked on this new quest of hers with the usual enthusiasm she had when approaching a fresh target. She didn't know what would change or how this could affect their relationship but she was confident that Jaune would satisfy her urges and he would get an unforgettable experience out of it.

It would be win-win situation for the both of them!

Now if only she could get it to happen!

Dear Oum above, Jaune Arc was as dense as a singularity! She had given him all the signs, made all kinds of flirty talk, found any reason to run her fingers over his firm body, flaunted her incredible body in front of his face, she even went naked for him! (That had been a bad idea, poor Ruby).

He didn't catch any of the messages! She probably could have waved a sign in front of his face saying she wanted to him to pound her senseless like a bongo drum and he would somehow misconstrue it into some request to give her a massage or play her a song!

It was with growing horror that Yang realized that maybe, just maybe, living with Jaune so long had jaded him and made him impervious to her charms. It was something unsettling, something she hadn't felt in so long. Yang had grown accustomed to just bating her eyelashes at someone and being set for the night. Now she had found the ultimate challenge in the form of the most socially awkward college freshman this side of the world.

Well, Yang wasn't going to give up that easily. She still had plenty of time to get into his pants and she was going to get what she wanted or her name wasn't Yang Xiao Long!

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

The silence was so prevalent you could hear a mouse squeak.

Jaune felt a little worried. In all his time with Yang, he had never seen her so…quiet.

Yet there she was, sitting upright on his bed in her revealing lingerie with her hair overshadowing her eyes. His jacket was hanging loosely off her shoulders and he wondered if maybe he should've just left immediately. Yeah sure it was chilly outside but she was already wearing it...

Oh man, hopefully she wasn't going to wear it during…whatever she planned to do with her mysterious valentine.

"Um…Yang? You ok? Do…you need me to get you something?"

Now Jaune had lived quite an interesting life before college. He had all kinds of experiences to fall back on when it came to certain situations. Instincts born from events that sound straight out of an action movie or a fairy tale had been honed to fine point and while Jaune was still considered weak in a matter of strength, he had a very strong fight-or-flight sense.

Right now that sense was telling him to run. To run far away. Far enough where the law cared little to follow and catch him.

"…Yang?"

"ARGH!"

Jaune yelped as he fell backwards onto his ass, face full of pillow. The small window of being blinded by a feathery cushion afforded Yang to pick up more miscellaneous items and start throwing them with the strength born of wrath of a woman scorned.

In short, she might as well be throwing boulders at him.

Jaune crab-walked backwards clumsily, trying to keep from taking the brunt of the assault. He had no freaking clue what set her off and his mind was going into overdrive trying to figure it out.

He had come home. She was half-naked. She was alone? He needed to leave. He said he was going to leave. She got angry. Now she try to kill him. Why?

His thought process was too simple and thus he didn't get any answers.

Course he stopped thinking about all that when he realized something else.

One, Yang was the most terrifying beautiful creature he ever had the luck to lay eyes on. Two, she could probably lift ten times her body weight. Three, he was currently being lifted by the collar of his shirt by said creature. Four, she had some really fiery red eyes that burned with a passion that she approached life with. And finally, he was no longer able to see any of these things.

Because he was flying.

Out the window.

Of the third story building.

He would scream if he had the brain power left to really try.

Instead…he landed in the bushes below.

Jaune had enough sense left to hear one final shout of anger from Yang before she slammed the windows shut.

He laid there, slightly shivering from the windy night, before getting up and trying to stretch out his stiff muscles.

"Ow," Jaune deadpanned, "Whelp, I guess I better go buy the good stuff for breakfast…or maybe cookie dough, ice cream, and cranberries? It might be that 'time'…wait all my stuff is still inside crap!"

As the freshman panicked and tried to formulate a plan to apologize for whatever transgression he had done against his roommate, said roomie was hugging her knees and curled up on his bed.

"How can he be so stupid?" She said fuming, "How can he…not see that I want him?"

Her anger started to dissipate and she started to feel guilty about what she had done.

"Aw shoot, I should probably let him back inside. Maybe I can explain myself and then he'll get it."

But when Yang opened the windows and looked around, Jaune had disappeared. She tried to call him on his scroll but the ringing from the kitchen told her what she needed to know. The blonde beauty started to worry. She debated about calling her friends to help hunt for him but remembered they all went to a party together. She didn't know any of his friends either.

Yang shivered and ran back to his bed. She laid back down onto the soft mattress and slid under the covers, heart full of guilt but still flaming with desire. She vowed to stay up, to personally apologize immediately when Jaune came home.

She was awake until the first rays of sun, when her eyes just slammed shut and she fell into a blissful sleep just as the window to the living room was pushed open by a certain blonde haired man.

Jaune had a few shopping bags of supplies clenched in his teeth as he struggled to carry the box inside without dropping or pitching out the window.

"Better get to work, Yang might wake up soon."

He checked his scroll, noticing a few missed calls, the first from Yang.

"Whoops, knew I should have snuck back in for this."

He thumbed through a few before his eyes shot open.

"Aw crap!"

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

When Yang woke up two hours later and when her weary mind finally registered where she was and what happened, she jumped out of bed in a panic. Smells that she had long gotten used to were filling the air and she yanked open the door, words on her lips and a sorry expression on her face.

Instead of the usual aproned smiling young man, there was no one. Breakfast was laid out perfectly, extra special and all her favorites laid out in a spread that made her stomach grumble from the smell alone. She called his name, wondering if he was just hiding from her. When she got no response, she despaired a little thinking he had just left immediately to avoid talking to her.

Yet her eyes caught the little note card nestled in the petals of the bouquet of flowers in the middle of the table and she snatched it up. Eyes traveling at the speed of light, she sighed but felt a little better.

"What a punk…I toss him out a window and yell at him and he thinks it's all his fault. C'mon man, grow a spine," Yang said to herself with a rueful smile.

Suddenly someone knocked at the door and Yang answered it, confused who would come this early. Outside, she was met with all her friends that at first were happy to see her but slowly all their expressions morphed into something.

Ruby covered her eyes with a blush, Weiss had her mouth drop open, Blake stared a little before averting her eyes with a smaller blush developing.

"What are you girls doing here? And what's wrong?"

Weiss coughed and with composure born from long lessons on etiquette, calmly pointed at Yang.

"You…um…you invited us here and um…"

"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON SIS!"

And so it was twice in a semester that Yang Xiao Long had traumatized her little sister.

* * *

 **A/N:** Man, this chapter did not want to come out. I think I just felt so at home with Jaune that switching over to Yang threw off my sense. Oh well, it's done now so no point in fretting.

Now that I'm committed to this, I just want to start off by saying thank you all for the lovely faves, follows, and the reviews. It warms the authors soul in me to see all this love for what started off as a simple experiment and now had it turned into an actual story. Thank you so much and please continue to provide your support.

And on the topic of reviews, just a PSA. After one certain anon review that decried my choice of how I portrayed Yang, I want to point two major things. First off, this is fanfiction. I can write however the hell I want when I want. That's the freedom afforded to me when I decided to take up the computer and start typing. You don't like what I put out, don't read it. Simple as that. Fanfiction is a medium for fans to express their love and they can do it however they want. And second, you're acting like that's the entire point of her characterization and that I'm just using her as some story point of eye candy. **I'm not**. Check the tags, it's meant to be a rom/com with a dash of drama. I'm not here to step on toes and make things look bad, I'm just using what the original artist said was the portrayal in this AU. So that's that and if you still got a problem, get an account and message me personally so I don't have to clog up the A/N with this.

Other than that, I'm looking to try my hand at Coeur Al'Aran's way of writing IE his one little lesson point he made in his collab with College Fool in _The Writer Games_. If you haven't heard of these two or checked out their work, DO IT DO IT DO IT NOW WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT MY CRAP FOR GO ENJOY THEM.

Cough.

So yes, I'm trying my best and I hope I'm doing this justice.

Enjoy this crappy fic I made with DEEZ HANDS.


	3. The Company

_A/N: That_ frickin _moment when you have a set plan, a set schedule, a noble_ ideal _all ready and put down to execute._

 _Then Life takes a baseball bat to your kneecaps and you're left in the dust._

 _Yeah sorry for the wait my lovely fans, the past month or two has been a little roller coaster in addition to how this chapter, in my opinion, is more of an info dump than actual content. But it's_ necessary in _the long run so_ hopefully _I painted a nice enough picture to explain some things while setting up for the next things._

Small _warning, not a lot of funnies going on in this chapter but I'll jump back into that next chapter. Which hopefully will come sooner than this one._ Also _I really hope you guys understand which exact company of digital entertainment I'm trying to reference. Hint: It's usually in our faces when we watch their content and especially when we watch RWBY!_

Also _if you're a fan of my writing in general, allow me to shamelessly plug in my other RWBY fic right here titled Emperor's Heir. That piece is the more serious drama set up in comparison to this one and as a writer, I try to branch out and get what I can_ done _to really expand my horizons so please, don't be shy with a review or two._

 _Well other than that, enjoy this CRAPPY CHAPTER I MADE WITH DEEZ HANDS!_

* * *

Jaune breathed deeply as he stood on the edge of the roof. He had his eyes closed, savoring the taste of the free city air as he embraced the morning sun from his vantage point. The blonde teen was ready, he was going to do it.

 **One.**

 **Two,**

 **Three.**

Jaune pitched forward and felt the air rush around him as he fell. He could feel his body kick into overdrive, a familiar sense of adrenaline overtaking his being as he braced for impact.

 _Finally_.

It was all going to be over soon.

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

The atmosphere around the dorm room dining table was awkward, to say the least. Despite that, the four girls were helping themselves to the nice spread of food and each one had piled a plate high with some nourishment. Bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles, fruits, doughnuts, sandwiches, wraps, sausages, grits, anything that your tiny little mind would think to add to a breakfast buffet were passed around and all four took what they liked and ate what they enjoyed.

Yang was nursing a plate of her favorite breakfast while she tried her best to devour the delicious food and talk shop with her close friends. Ruby was trying to sneak some cookies onto her messy plate from her own personal stash but Weiss was playing interference from the side with a glare while she made a neat and tidy assortment on her plate. Blake had her hands full with a book and fork, eyes roaming steadily across the pages as she flipped through the paperback with one hand and ate with the other in a continuous pace that told of practice.

The chatter was loud but normal, the four girls all talking with each other and complimenting the conversation through each topic. The flow of words moved quickly from theme and varied in subject. The latest news, the juiciest gossip, rising and falling stocks, entertaining books, newest movies, anything and everything that the girls had an interest in was touched upon and nothing was ignored. Everyone had someone to talk to.

A common enough scene for those who knew of the four friends.

Which is why things figuratively screeched to a rather abrupt halt when Ruby asked an innocent question.

"So…who were you dressed like that for sis?"

Weiss and Blake quieted down from their talks of smut versus story with adult themes and zoned in on the blonde girl in question.

Yang had paused too, a look of slight annoyance but overall nervousness encompassed her face.

"Oh you know…the usual guy…he left quickly enough before you girls got here anyways."

"This man in question wouldn't be one Jaune Arc would it?"

Ruby nearly spat out her milk while Blake snapped her book shut and put her fork down.

Yang, for her part, narrowed her eyes at the renowned Ice Queen.

"Oh don't give me that look, I can't help but hear all the drivel that passes through my informants' mouths. Especially when half the time all they can talk about is you."

Yang sighed before running a hand through her locks and leaned onto the palm of her hand and adopted a glum look.

"Yeah, it is."

The reactions were varied and expected. Ruby adopted a grossed out expression while Blake stared at her unwaveringly. Weiss tsked tsked before taking a sip of her tea, making no other face or noise. Each of these girls had prior dealings with one mister Arc and only one of them could say it was anything positive.

Ruby Rose had gained her first friend through Jaune. He had been the boy who stopped to give her a hand on her first day in school. Being a prodigy and rushed forward was a dizzying experience and while Yang had did her best to help prepare her for the coming month, it did little when the sights and sounds became so real. Thankfully Jaune was on volunteer duty and had elected to give her the grand tour, answering her questions patiently and seriously no matter what she asked or how she ran off in excited wonder. Even when the first week was over and his job done, Jaune still took the time to ask her if everything was ok and to make sure she was adjusting well.

Ruby attributed her ability to adapt so quickly to the college environment simply because Jaune had led her around enough for her to learn and become familiar with her surroundings and he been so helpful that she didn't lose her way even once despite the campus being a huge disorienting mess

Seriously, he had some big brother vibes going for him and it was only how Ruby gushed about his character instead of his actions did Yang stay her hand and not hunt him down to teach him a lesson about distance and space and stay the hell away from my sister or I'll break you.

Usual stuff.

Weiss Schnee in turn hated his guts.

It was all his fault and he should have known better. The audacity he had to even dare think he could be on the same level as her.

He had done the unthinkable and tried to court her without the proper procedure. He didn't bring any gifts, he didn't make her swoon, he offered no honeyed words or promises of pleasure and excitement.

He bought a guitar. And a book. That he had written a song on. In public.

He was lucky that he had done so in a public setting or else she would have had him disposed of. It didn't matter that he sang decently or that he tried to apologize afterward. One does not simply try to serenade a Schnee and expect a free pass just because of ignorance. There was a process to her heart and she would be damned if some fool from nowhere tried to hijack the path it was supposed to go on and force her into something she never even thought of.

Weiss had suitors lined up to her tastes since she first discovered hormones and boys. Her father had been strict and controlling in every sense of the word but in this, he allowed her freedom. If Weiss was going to have something done of her own accord, it was going to be who she chose to spend her life with.

Her elder sister Winter had shown and told her all the wonders of courtship and engagement. She spun tales of being swept off her feet, of being sent swooning and finding that spark of attachment when her man paid attention and did something for her. Sure Weiss had never seen her sister's beau but she was confident the day would come and she would find someone exactly like him once they met. Such a man to send her firm sibling blushing had to be someone amazing.

Which is why she despised Jaune Arc. She despised his ilk, ones who went for her pretty face and her family name. She cared little for boys and men who tried to get her affections without getting to know her. And how were they to get to know her if they didn't talk to her, didn't treat her like normal? No, if they wanted her heart they needed to be her friend first and not try to bust open the gates face first.

Jaune Arc had done none of that. He would never get the chance to do any of that. Sure it sounded harsh and like an over-reaction to what would be a simple misunderstanding but Weiss Schnee did not do mercy nor did she do softly. Most fools would be lucky to even get a single chance to talk to her and he had squandered all of that.

Well, it mattered little at this point. He was going to have his hands full from now on dealing with a certain fiery blonde goddess.

Blake Belladonna had books. She always had books. She loved books. And if there was one thing she really didn't like about books was how short they were. Or how they took so long to come out. Or how hard it was to track down certain authors.

Ok so maybe she had a lot more than one gripe that turned into a few that turned into plenty but damn it, she loved literature and literature was her only friend. It stayed by her side when the going got tough and it remained there since she first picked up a book and read the title by herself. To those who knew her, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch for people to go looking for her in cafes or libraries and find her curled up cozy with a book or three next to her.

Which led to the fated meeting between her and one mister Jaune Arc.

She normally cared little for the social ongoings of the campus at large but even her focused attention in the world of literature couldn't shield her from the churning rapids of the rumor mill and the waves that spread across the land. She knew who Jaune Arc was, what he looked like, what he was responsible for, and how the fastest way to commit social suicide was to become his friend.

She didn't care about any of that. So long as he stayed in his camp and she got to stay in hers, then they wouldn't have any issues.

Of course knowing how life usually plays out and how fate seems to have a rather big bulging hard-on for all thing unfortunate for one mister Arc, this didn't last.

Though it wasn't as unpleasant as anybody said it was going to be. It had been a simple day of a simple time with just a simple plan to get some reading done. She had a perfect spot picked out and already had her name slapped all over it which was why it became so jarring when she got there with her arms laden with books and found the seat occupied.

Now not many would say they have seen Blake get worked up or everything but those who have can say that it _does not look_ _ **pretty**_ _._

She chalked it up to his overwhelmingly stupid ability to be unable to pick up on social cues which was why she didn't immediately eviscerate him. There were two things you didn't mess with when it came to Blake. Books and Tuna. Anything else could go burn.

Still, it was a public place and why her private little personal corner had been stolen, she could share.

After some time passed and Jaune didn't look ready to bolt for the doors when he caught sight of her deadly glare, the two managed to amicably come to an agreement of sorts.

He would be as mute as a professional mine and she would get the bean bag chair.

So it came to pass that she would tolerate his presence, ignoring how he never came to actually read anything but instead type out long pages of something. She never bothered to seek a peek or ask, assuming it was just some dull school work that needed to be done away from Yang…which was understandable to a degree.

And thus it came to be that Yang got to see Jaune Arc through three different perspectives.

One that liked him as a friend, one that hated his guts, and one that tolerated his being there.

Blake, being neutral ground, was the best to be her buffer of sorts and get a realistic standpoint on all things Jaune involved. Ruby would embellish the interactions and make him out all positive while Weiss would exaggerate EVERYTHING and find his very ability to breathe the same air as her offense. So Blake was the best to ask about anything and everything.

"So please explain what happened last night after you ditched us to come home and see your very 'special' friend."

"Eheheh," Yang said why sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, "You know…seduction tactic number 4."

Ruby, unfamiliar with all things sexy and unwilling to learn, bide a hasty retreat after grabbing her plate. Weiss got up as if to chase after the girl but stopped when she realized that the young lady was also the track star of her year and thus was probably already halfway across the campus in her bid to get away from hearing her older sister discuss her sex life.

"Isn't that the one…where you lie down on the bed and pose for them?"

"Yup," Yang said as she popped the p, "Drives all the boys and girls wild. I just love doing it."

"And lemme guess, it didn't work on him," Weiss deadpanned.

All of Yang's bluster died down as she sank into a mild depression. It was jarring, to say the least, when your most trusted tactic fails.

"So what happened when he walked in on you dressed like that? Did he shriek and run away while crying?"

"He didn't get the hint is what I would assume."

"Point to kitty cat," Blake bristled at the nickname. Stupid damn blonde and her ability to find dirt on people, "Yeah, I had everything set up juussst right. The candles were lit, the petals were scattered, I had my delicious body spread out all over his bed and…and…and he just ignores it all!"

The anguished wail Yang let out didn't truly alarm her friends, both of them quite used to her antics.

"It was worse than not getting it up! I don't understand! I'm the hottest girl this side of the continent! People throw themselves and fight each other for the right to my bed! I have a fan club and a cult established in this school! How! How does one blonde nerdy guy from nowhere not show _anything_?!"

Blake patted the wailing blonde gently, other handle holding her fork as she nibbled on a pancake. Weiss had long rolled her eyes, eating her own breakfast and texting away on her phone.

"So what happened next then? I assume you must have done or said something if he's not here right now but had all this prepared for us."

"Now that you mention it, didn't you say that dork only cooks for three usually? Did you tell him we were coming over and he made more?"

Yang, recovering her dignity, suddenly grew very nervous and it showed in her smile.

"Uh…actually…"

Blake and Weiss narrowed their eyes.

"What did you do?"

"So I sorta…might of…kinda…" Yang ducked her head and whispered the next part as fast as her mouth could move, "Picked him up and tossed him out the window."

Reactions were instantaneous.

"YOU DID WHAT?"

"YANG!"

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

With the ground rushing to meet his face, Jaune Arc contemplated his life up until this point. He was never rich, never had a girlfriend, did middling in school, always had some sort of curse that made him a laughing stock for a period of time and he never got to really finish his dream.

Even right now as he took the dive off the building, he could only think of one thing.

 _Did I leave the stove on? Pretty sure Yang would notice and close it for me…unless she left the apartment. Man, I really should-_

This thought process was interrupted by the collision.

Jaune, with the grace of an acrobat, tucked and rolled onto the safety pads before forming a perfect pose.

"And cut! Beautiful, ab-so-lutely beautiful! Everybody, take five! And someone go get our star a sandwich and drink! The Kid has earned it!"

The blonde teen stretched up, a smile blossoming on his face as he patted himself on the back mentally for a job well done. He started to walk towards his private room, offering greetings and handshakes and hugs to everyone who had the time to engage with him.

It was sad, really, just sad how much one could transform themselves by hiding behind a mask.

He entered his lodgings where a small desk, table, couch, and TV awaited him along with a nice beautiful intern dropping off his breakfast for the day. It was a nice hearty sandwich that stacked nearly as big as his head and a tall cool glass of some fizzy drink. The young man made to grab his nourishment, eager to get started when the intern giggled and reminded him of one crucial thing.

"Oops," He whispered dramatically, "Thanks for that."

In all honesty he had long since learned to live with the mask on. The face protector in question was a fancily craved ivory mask that allowed him to see and nothing else. Tribal markings and a mouth were intricately engraved and chiseled that gave him the visage of a whole new man. It held some weight and when he first attached it to his face, he felt some form of anxiety bear down upon him as if the very persona the mask embodied settled into his body and was displeased with what it found.

Still, over the years, Jaune had since learned to act, to dance, to sing, to move, to become one with the mask. It was what gave him courage, what turned him from some bumbling fool into an actor that moved with the grace of angelic creatures as he sauntered his way through the years and through the shoots into his current place.

With two small clicks, the latches were undone and Jaune unhinged the bottom half to allow his mouth free access.

Jaune sighed happily as he tucked in and relaxed on his couch.

All in a day's work of being an entertainer.

Yes, Jaune Arc, the clumsy goofball with the social grace of an ultra-nerd and weird quiet loner with an obsession of all things dark and bad poetry combined had a job. It was a secret job and he wanted it to stay that way. It was more secret than his porn collection and his smut writing. He would honestly say that if it really came down to it, it would be the kind of secret that he would silence someone for.

He would do it himself too damn it! The mask would make him!

Jaune Arc worked for what was affectionately called The Traveling Entertainers.

Sometimes, based off of their logo, Coc- Never mind. Leave it to someone else to wonder why the company logo depicted a silhouette of a feathered bird and some form of novelty toy with an over enlarged smile that clacked endlessly when you turned the crank on the back.

It was quite a whacky assortment of the most ragtag bunch of people this side of the planet but they were close and they did their job well.

The history started off small and simple but stretched as far back as the first war. The Entertainers were originally just a wife and husband comedy duo that traveled freely, offering their services for food and board when they would be accepted. When the first war of man broke out, they donated their time to keeping the morale of soldiers high.

It was on one adventure that the two met and adopted a whole orphanage that had been abandoned but remained occupied by children too young to go anywhere else and who had no one else to turn to. Thus the family grew and the two parents taught their trade and encouraged the passionate pursuit of the arts and the growth of creativity that the children all had.

Soon the family of entertainers started to branch out, started to learn and gain tricks that expanded past just walking on stage and cracking jokes. Even when the war ended and there was no more need to go to the soldiers to keep their spirits up, the family continued to travel around and do their best to alleviate any suffering or sadness they could find.

In time, the families of soldiers and the townspeople that they visited recognized the deeds of these traveling performers and gave them a boon of money and experienced techies that helped them truly expand their craft in any direction.

Nowadays the Traveling Entertainers main export was direct to DVD movies and online Dustnet videos of amazingly shot special effects and straightforward movies of any genre that guaranteed some fans that purchased it. The Entertainers had a strong fanbase all over the continent and no matter what they did, so long as someone was willing to watch their work and honestly say they had a good time doing so, it was enough for them to do it.

To the Entertainers, making people happy was their job and they did that job well.

Jaune's father, Nicolas Arc, had been one such recipient of a show and was one of the biggest supporters of the wandering cluster of colorful performers. He had even done a few shows himself and always found the time and reason to bring his family to go see their performances when close to their home town.

Which was how Jaune landed this gig.

At a tender young age, Jaune always had a dream of being famous and being helpful. To see the bright colors and extravagant recitals that embodied the troupe, Jaune became captivated with the life and pleaded to join. His father had been hesitant at first but when the current leader of the band had personally extended his hand to the boy, he couldn't refuse.

The environment Jaune grew up in was nothing short of mystical, involving all sorts of whacky hi-jinks and misadventures that seemed to spew forth from the drug addled mind of someone on a really bad trip instead of some semblance of reality.

In short, Jaune learned. A lot.

It was like for every normal skill he developed, he gained something just as equally outrageous.

He could go hunting in the woods with nothing but a sponge and bucket and came back with some big game animal that he turned into a delicious meal.

He could dance to any beat, find any rhythm while getting a wider variety of objects thrown at him including up to but not limited to rotten fruit and cactus.

He could write fantastic tales of adventure and wild imagination…only if he added hardcore smut into it though dear Oum of all the things.

Every domestic skill he picked up came at the expense of some insane training montage that more often than not resulted in, but not limited to, property damage, grievous body harm, near loss of life, and countless envelopes of hush money being exchanged.

So things came to be that Jaune Arc was taught a whole slew of skills and abilities that beyond the wildest of imaginations. From circus acts to feats of strength to death-defying stunts, Jaune had a hand in it all. His fingers touched every pie and he never stopped absorbing. When the boy turned into a man, it took his mother beating him with a frying pan to get him to stop running off to join the posse whenever they performed.

Years of experience with all things that had ovaries taught Jaune that yes, his mother could be scary as all hell and that she disapproved of his decision to became a traveling entertainer.

So it came to be that instead of dropping out and letting his academics sink into the depths of failure, he was offered a deal. Graduate with a degree of something and he could run off and do whatever he wanted. His mother didn't approve of his life style choice of becoming an entertainer but had to concede when she saw how happy he was doing the things he did.

Jaune Arc had no social graces to speak of but in place of it all, he had a slew of skills that would guarantee him a place in the entertainment industry as a stunt double or even as a head actor. He was simply quite the performer when he put on the mask but sadly it was only with the mask that he could do these things. Growing up in the environment that was provided for him allowed him to easily adapt to any and all radical changes but it came at the steep price of ensuring that when it came down to it, Jaune Arc the student was nothing more than a bumbling fool while Jaune Arc the Virtuoso had such name power that anything with his title slapped on had an increase of attention and attendance.

The man that Jaune became behind that mask was someone who demanded perfection to the highest degree and if you couldn't match his resolve, then you were removed. The face, while fake, was associated so heavily with the Entertainers.

Preferably relocated to some other project or work, never truly removed from the troupe itself. Everyone who joined was family and to turn your back on family was one of the biggest crimes you could ever commit that you would be forever blacklisted from all future shows and any other associated media.

With the clout the company had with all entertainment industries, it was like a death sentence.

"Mister…Virtuous can I just say what an honor it is to be working with you right now?"

Still locked within his persona, the regular Jaune would've just blushed and stammered a response. Instead, he chuckled in a low voice, the sound deep and throaty like he was trying to dislodge something.

The teen dipped his head and waved his hand at the intern, "Oh don't worry about it. Do not let my brilliance blind you…please relax, be uptight and rigid later and be reserved for when I'm in character…mostly because I can be quite difficult to deal with. But still, you hold beauty yourself, you will go far.

The intern bowed her head and tried to hide a blush, her name card showing only one word, and her body jostled as she just giggled impishly at him.

"You use that line with all the ladies? Just call me Emerald when you need something ok?"

"Sure thing Emmy," Jaune said before his brain caught up to his mouth, "Just know that I use nicknames for everyone."

"Huh…that's ok I guess. Close enough."

He smirked at her, head tilted sideways and placed within the palm of his hand as his eyes took in the sight of the lady in waiting. He wasn't just saying flirty words because of his persona, he actually could see the beauty before him. She was a tanned lady, green hair with bangs and the sharpest of red eyes. How she was starting as an intern instead of an actress was beyond him but he did not decide the way things were ordered, only who he ordered when given the job.

*Beep* *Beep*

"Whoops, excuse me," Jaune said as he grabbed his phone and opened it, "Had an alarm set for around this time…forgot what it was for though."

"Well it was nice meeting you and I'll be here if you need-"

"Oh crap."

There was a blur and a whoosh before the room became still again. Emerald blinked before she calmly observed her surroundings and noted that yes, the masked actor had snatched everything within reach of his seat and took off running at the speed of light. Shaking her head, the intern checked around to make sure no one was looking before her façade dropped and she adopted a serious expression.

Gone was some ditzy helpful intern, in place was a stern woman.

The green haired mysterious brown beauty pulled out her own phone and dialed a number as she made herself at home on the still warm seat cushions.

"Reporting in Miss Sustrai?" A sultry voice spoke up when the call was answered.

"Yes, Mistress. I'm calling in to report that I've successfully infiltrated the Entertainers Company and put myself in the good grace of one of their leading stars, a young man who everyone calls the Virtuoso."

"Good work. I know of his works and the influence he possesses. If you can, bring him over to our side. If not, remove him. Do this quietly."

Emerald smiled evilly as she was told the plan. That crazy teenager was about to get the biggest surprise of his life when he came back to work. And when all was said and done and the rest of these circus clowns got the message, they would pay tribute to her mistress like everyone was supposed to.

No one got a free ride in this city, especially if they were just a bunch of traveling comedians that sold well.

Emerald ended the call when she confirmed her job and relaxed, helping herself to the mini bar and flipping on the TV where she watched one of most recent skits that hadn't been released to the public yet. Even if she was ultimately going to hurt and destroy these people from the inside, she had to admit, they knew how to make something that people wanted to watch.

=Immunity=

Climbing back in through the third story window was becoming such a common activity to him that Jaune debated about leaving one of the windows permanently open. Then he thought about what his roommate got up to and her safety and just shook his head.

It was a pretty dumb idea.

Granted, anyone dumb enough to try and sneak in through the window was asking to get their ass kicked.

He wasn't because he was smart. Sneaking in through the window was an art form that was to be perfected upon the realization that your roommate was a kinky loud deviant and the best kind of way to get in and out was through something other than the front door.

Still, climbing back into the apartment because he forgot his keys in his room instead of ringing the doorbell like a normal person would probably raise some alarm bells that he didn't want ringing so he opted to just hop out again and go through the front door like a filthy causal would. The teen grimaced, wondering what awaited him on the other side of the door as he knocked.

He was still worried, unsure if the breakfast he made was enough. She had a big appetite in the mornings and if he couldn't match it, then she would take it out on those around her. He didn't wish that upon anyone, knowing first-hand what it was like to deal with a hormonal female that hadn't been fed properly.

"Man, I hope Yang's feeling better…though knowing her she probably had her usual stress reliever on hand when she tossed me out."

Jaune had dealt with Yang's private times with tact most of the time. He had headphones, games, audiobooks, even some friends on campus that he could go bother for a bit if needed. If all else failed, he could always run back to the Company guys again and hung out there for awhile, maybe get some shoots in. He knew his mom would throw a fit if she caught wind of him going too much so he spaced out his visits when he could.

And if everyone on site was well aware of how scary Mama Arc could be and kept hush about his involvement too? Then all the better.

So it was with a steady hand that he opened his front door, a part of him slightly afraid of seeing his mother patiently waiting for him to beat him senseless but another part of him making him realize that it didn't have to be his maternal blonde but his blond roommate that would knock him down onto his ass for whatever reason as soon as he entered.

What he found instead was…interesting.

=Immunity=

"I've checked all local hospitals and the infirmary, no reports of any blond moron being committed for broken bones."

"All the people that know or see Jaune have said they didn't hear from him at all since yesterday afternoon."

"Yang did you kill my first friend here?!"

"No Ruby I didn't! And guys, you have to calm down! I mean, keep searching but don't act like it's my fault!"

"IT IS YOUR FAULT."

"You tossed him out a window!"

"On the third floor!"

Jaune Arc coughed, unsure how to proceed when four eyes all whirled around and stared him down.

Weiss had three different scrolls ringing, screens flashing as numerous messages flooded in from multiple sources. Blake held her book in both hands, lifted up and above as though to bring down righteous fury with her strikes. Ruby had latched onto Yang like a limpet, looking like a young sister getting a piggy back ride but in truth was trying to strangle her sister from behind. In the center of it all, Yang was trying to divide her attention between the three, face sweaty and huffing like she was just recovering from being strangled and beaten with a thick book while yelled at.

"Uh…did I burn the toast? Were the waffles overdone? I mess up breakfast that badly did I?"

Instead of the expected verbal answer, he was greeted with a flying red blur that tackled him out the doorway. Calling upon his vast experience of all things involving blunt force trauma, Jaune managed to stay upright and keep from toppling over even as a babbling Ruby Rose tried to talk the life out of him as Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee both rushed over and tried to dislodge the young girl and check him for injuries for whatever reason.

He tried to flinch away, well aware what happened the last time the two got close to him but was stopped by an unexpected source.

Yang Xiao Long had snuck past all three of the girls and latched onto his collar and looked him up and down, running a hand through his body. The blonde male squirmed, trying to keep her hands from dipping too low and making sure not to dislodge Ruby and have her fall and hurt herself.

"Are you…ok?"

"Uh…if by fine you mean currently being dog piled by four pretty ladies then…yes?"

Weiss scoffed and backed off, "He obviously didn't fall on his head so he should be fine."

"Fall on my head?" Jaune questioned with a head tilt, "I didn't trip up the stairs, this time, I swear!"

Blake gave him a deadpan stare while pacing backward and Ruby took a few soft taps on the top of his head before climbing off. The youngest one there gave her older sister a pointed look.

"Jaune…I just…I just wanted to say…"

"Oh I understand don't worry about it."

Yang blinked in surprise, in addition to being some ultimate butler he was also fine being tossed around like some cheap punching bag?

"You can keep the jacket, I'll just buy a new one. It's a super nice material so you won't have to replace it anytime soon."

The oblivious teen sauntered off, somehow incapable of noticing the flat stares he was getting.

Yang meanwhile remained motionless, still stuck at the open doorway.

"You think he actually did land on his head and suffered from temporary amnesia? I don't believe that there exists anyone who would do something like FORGET being tossed out a window."

No one had an exact answer to Ruby's question.


	4. The Boy

It was strange, how things changed and how things stayed the same.

Jaune yawned as he tapped his pencil against his notebook and tried to stay awake in class. The teacher, a big portly man with a mustache and eyebrow combo that covered eighty percent of his face, droned on and on about the history of some distant war.

Professor Port was quite a big man and it was hard to look him in the eye sometimes. Because it was covered in his bushy facial hair but also because trying to get a word in during one of his stories was so hard, you would have a better time taking a math test blindfolded and with a rabid raccoon stuck down your pants.

Yup, Professor Port was quite an individual and it appeared that he taught history in the same way.

Which was kind of strange seeing as he usually ran the classes for PE but had to substitute today when their usual history teacher overdosed on coffee again and had to get his stomach pumped.

"Blah blah blah blah."

Jaune felt his ability to stay awake fading. It wasn't his fault really, he was normally pretty invested in history and took active part in class but today just wasn't doing it for him. A late night shoot combined with the rare occurrence of coming home to fully clothed fully awake Yang threw him for such a loop he almost thought he had passed out on set and was dreaming.

He was suffering from a bit of sleep deprivation and having to listen to a droning, quite dull and bombastic self-horn tooting big man wasn't helping. Which bought up another point.

"Ren, psst, Ren."

Lie Ren was one of the most laid back no nonsense straight faced individuals you could ever meet in your life time.

He also was the only true bro outside of his job.

"What is it Jaune?"

"I'm not sure if my brain has melted to the point where my ability to understand our teacher's words has become nothing but nonsense. Can I borrow your notes later?"

Ren's response was to simply keep writing at a diligent pace.

"Please…I'll buy you lunch?"

The scritch scratch of Ren's pencil just kept going on.

"I'll pick up our tab at the local arcade?"

Ren's hand stilled for just a second. Jaune thought he had gotten through and perked up but deflated when all his friend did was calmly replace his pencil with a pen.

"I'll distract Nora for you for two hours?"

"Make it three and promise me that she won't have any sugar or new random things to bring back."

Jaune grimaced, understanding just how monumental of a task it was to babysit the hyperactive ginger girl without any proper bribes like candy and pancakes and stuffed toys and shiny things.

Then again, the only reason he stocked so much sugary confections and random props was to throw them at Nora and run in the opposite direction, hoping to God's he could sprint to safety before she got her hyperactive claws into him.

Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren were the few people on campus that didn't fit into the social activity that was college life. They were of the rare few varieties where their entire existence did not fit into any community circle yet still functioned fairly well with all groups of people. Though it could be argued that Nora was the one that soaked up all the attention and Ren was the only one who could keep up on the ride along whatever misadventure the crazy girl was on.

It was interesting, seeing the two interact in their own little world without a care for those around them. They didn't give into rumors or gossip or any of that ilk and generally the two were inseparable enough that any guy or girl or both decided that it just wasn't right (or simple) to get between the two.

That and the last girl that tried to lure away Ren with her feminine wiles wound up taking a bath in maple syrup.

Where Nora managed to secure a vat of the stuff on such short notice and without anyone noticing until aforementioned girl was nearly drowning in it was beyond anyone's guess.

"Jaune, are you listening to me?"

The wimp that was also not a wimp blinked.

"Huh?"

Ren sighed, "I asked you if you noticed anything…strange recently concerning your roommate?"

Jaune blinked owlishly at his friend before tilting his head in confusion and thought about it.

"Uh…she started taking my old shirts and wearing them to bed. I don't know why but I don't really care."

"…Anything else?"

"Well…she did say she was sorry a lot and said I don't have to cook breakfast anymore or shower in the cold or clean the whole place and I can get to sleep at reasonably hours now."

"That was normal to you?"

"Originally I thought she was just being mean but then I kinda thought about it some more and said screw it. I mean, cold showers never bothered me, I don't mind picking up messes, and I'm worried that if Yang tries anything in the kitchen something will explode. I got used to sleeping with headphones in or I'm usually just tired enough that I pass out and don't wake up."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

While chewing on his pen, the blonde teen thought back to what bought on his crazy behavior. Growing up in a circus turned production company, he really did learn all his domestic arts mostly because the hen mother was such a kind woman who looked so frail that he couldn't help but give her a hand. So he followed her around after every shoot like a duckling, sweeping floors and washing windows and honing his skills.

Learning how to cook had been more of a skill necessary to survive than something he picked up because he wanted to help. He did love the feeling of seeing people enjoy his food but overall, if he didn't learn how to make something good to eat then he would have to leave it to…the workers.

Jaune shuddered, remembering the first time he stayed for breakfast after someone else offered to cook it.

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

" _WHY IS EVERYTHING ON FIRE!"_

" _I WAS MAKING CEREAL!"_

" _THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"_

" _GRAB THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN!"_

" _GOOD IDEA, WE CAN USE THEM TO SMOTHER THE FIRES!"_

" _JUST CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT YOU ASS!_

" _YOU KNOW THEY WON'T COME HERE ANYMORE AFTER THE INCIDENT WITH THE PANDAS!"_

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

Then of course there was the incident with lunch.

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

" _So…who thought it was a good idea to let the tiger out of its cage?"_

 _Jaune was perched atop a bookshelf, warily eyeing the fearsome predator that stalked around the room while licking its chops, ready to pounce upon the first poor fool to fall prey to its claws. The blonde teen grumbled, his stomach groaning in protest when he caught sight of his untouched steak sandwich on the table where the tiger patrolled. For all intents and purposes, there really should have been no involvement from a tiger whatsoever but somehow, before he could get one bite in, the large predator had appeared and chased them around the room until they all jumped up and climbed to safety…for however long it was going to last them when the tiger learned how to tip things over._

 _It was also a little disturbing how the tiger seemed to ignore the cooked piece of meat completely and focus all its attention on the three humans in the room. He had asked the ringmaster one time how he managed to tame the animal and he thought it was a joke when he said he fed the bodies of his enemies to the tiger until it became too bloated to move._

 _Now he wasn't so sure about it being a joke._

" _Hey man, I was just trying to feed him. I'm not the idiot who forgot to lock the cage."_

 _The assistant lion tamer and the senior lion tamer, twin brothers that could only be told apart by whether or not they had a curvy or wavy mustache, glared at each other from their own roosts._

" _I told you once, I told you a thousand times! The key must always go back on its hook that is placed conveniently close enough to the cage that if the tiger were to want freedom, all it would have to do is stand up and snatch it!"_

" _And I'm telling you, that's a dumb idea! I took the liberty of saving the poor animal the effort and just placing the darn thing right in front of its easily reachable paws and left the door unlocked anyways! She gets enough harassment when we throw the interns in, she doesn't need to work for her freedom!"_

 _Jaune stared at the two bickering idiots, debating about just making a run for it. On one hand, he had some pretty good practice dodging and tearing up the road on his feet after the drive by roman candle shoot but on the other hand, his naïve little innocent heart meant that he couldn't leave the two family members in all but blood behind._

 _Especially because worst case scenario, he could trip one of them up and use that to distract the large cat while running for his life._

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

"Jaune? Jaune are you there? Please don't blank out on me again, I deal enough with that."

Jaune shook his head, like a dog shedding water before sheepishly scratching his cheek.

"Sorry man, just thinking back to…uh…what made cooking so fun for me in the first place."

His friend stared at him, eyebrow raised.

"I mean, cooking is just so fun. You get to break things, pound stuff into a mushy paste, occasionally kill the ingredients, and mess with fire. Plus, I actually DO care about what I eat occasionally seeing as I live with a big family where usually it's a fight to get something worthwhile to eat. That and one of my sisters liked to play with fire and if I didn't watch her, she would use it to light my hair."

There was a short pause as Ren digested the information and calmly put away his books, a shrill bell signaling the end of class. The quiet young man calmly mulled over everything he just heard and from what he could glean from Jaune's facial expressions before continuing his questioning.

"Ok, ignoring all of that…do you think this is normal behavior Jaune?"

"…Normal?"

"Yes. Normal. Is this how you perceive the average human being treating another person and can see no issues or any potential problems whatsoever?"

Jaune paused to think long and hard about that question. He thought back to his life growing up in a circus, remembering all the times he willingly put his body on the line in the pursuit of art. The passion and dedication he put forth, both off and on screen, made him recall just how unique his life was compared to others were, especially all the skills he could do when he was performing.

He looked back on all the time he spent learning the trade, surrounding himself with various talents, just living a life in the day of the Company as a whole while doing his best. He remembered the easy and heartwarming days of his youth spent with blood family, his sisters tormenting him and his mother and father indulging them all. He recalled the time when he officially set out to join the whacky group of people who conducted their trade behind cameras and in front of sets, performing for the entertainment of others.

Then he thought back to the discussions, the water cooler talks, the bonding and anime he watched with all his fellow coworkers and realized some other things.

"Man…my life is full of assholes."

"I wouldn't go so far as to call everyone that…and you better not mean me or Nora, but there has been some people who could stand to treat you better."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks Ren, I'm going to let my boss know."

"Good, I'm glad we sorted…wait what? You work part-time?"

Before he could stop him, Jaune had ran off with surprising speed.

"…Damn it," The calm man sighed, "So much for that."

Ren got up from his seat, hoisted his bag upon his back, and trudged to his next class, Literature with Glynda Goodwitch. Arriving early, he chose his usual seat in the middle section and took out his needed items of learning.

"So how did it go?"

Ren didn't look up; he didn't need to when he could instantly tell by the voice who it was.

Weiss stood nearby, calmly tapping away without looking at her phone as she regarded Ren with her usual cool passive look.

"He seems to have some sort of background influence outside of campus that's making him think violence and being mistreated is the normal. I would assume he was living in an abusive home but then he talked about how he had some boss to talk to and I assume from our previous talks that his family loves him dearly."

"Interesting…" Weiss muttered, "Did he get the memo about Yang's…interest?"

"No. I tried to direct the conversation towards her and all he did was keep going back to some sort of memory concerning this job of his. That and he seems to be unable to make the connection."

"I see. Well I guess I'll see what the other girls have gathered before we proceed. Thank you very much for your help Lie Ren."

"Think nothing of it, Miss Schnee. Do you mind if I ask you one last thing?"

"Of course, do you need some help with Nora again?"

"No Jaune has it handled. I wanted to ask you about your opinion on our mutual target actually."

Weiss paused, her passive look turning into a frown.

"Did he put you up to this?"

"No, this is a personal inquiry. I wanted to know…why do you hate him so strongly?"

The frown turned into a narrow line and her face seemed to still as she thought of the answer, "I don't hate him. I dislike him for trying to get with me because of my beauty and name…like all those other fools. He didn't try to romance me, he didn't try to get to know me, all he did was jump straight into asking me out like I was some quick simple fling and that I would say yes simply because he asked."

"What did he say exactly? Did he specifically say…'let's go on a date' or 'let's hang out'?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Well for one, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and I want to point out that he has the density of a rock and possibly didn't see the signs or, Oum forbid, notice the usual social ques. He probably asked you out less of a romantic sense and more of a friendly case. I had some chats with him about girls and he tells me usually that he had a set elaborate plan to dating and he made a big deal about popping the question. Maybe you should hear him out first before hating his guts?"

"Did you forget the incident on the first day of his arrival? That horrid moment when he approached me and just fell to his knees and made his proclamations? Was that just some 'friendly' gesture or am I unaware of similar offers of friendship?"

"I'll give you that one. He did look like a total idiot. But besides that one incident, he hasn't really repeated it has he? He's tried simple and short conversations and he has told me that he wants to apologize. Maybe he realized how stupid he was or just how dumb public confessions like that are."

Weiss grimaced, well aware of her sheltered upbringing and hardass façade tended to turn people off but she did not apologize. She was a Schnee and if she was going to be courted then she wanted to be wooed properly. Her elder sister had all these romance novels that explained the process and while it wasn't fair of her to put down every male encounter as a failed romantic pursuit, her experience with past males has shown that they usually wanted her for her name and money.

Oh how she wished for those fictional heroes, of gentlemen who acted the way they did because of who they were and not because of who they wanted to court. She didn't like it when Jaune tried to make a big deal of his proposal, she shot those down by the dozens a day. Instead, she wanted something simpler and maybe, just maybe, she would find it someday when someone actually broke through her shell and courted her the way she wanted.

Until then, she was going to be the cold hearted rich bitch on campus.

The façade was to help defend against any false pursuers and if somehow some male ever did discover the secret to her heart, well she still had the screening of an elder sister and stern father to really help her see if whatever partner she bought home was worth it. In the meantime…

"I will endeavor to forgive him then. Mister Arc is becoming more and more interesting as I dig but I see where I have errored and I will give him a proper apology next time and allow him to do the same. Until then, do you mind continuing with helping us?"

"Of course. Thank you for your time."

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

One long phone call that got him nowhere later, Jaune Arc slumped off to the library with his laptop with a thoughtful mind. He dialed the number of his boss and outlined to him all the flaws and problems he saw with the work place and how things ran through the system. The boss, for his part, listened intently before calmly pointing out to Jaune that it wasn't the productions that skewed his view on reality, it was the actors. He had spent nearly a decade of his life living and training and practicing and bonding with a kooky gang of misfits that were so chaotic in both on and off screen that the only true way to get any order out of them as a group was to bury them all together in a row.

And even then, some of them would probably shrivel up the grass while others spout out watermelons from their graves out of spite of the natural order of things. They were all a bunch of kooky head cases, they were.

The boss also went on to point out that Jaune, for all intents and purposes, had probably taken too much differing life advice from everybody and was trying to apply it all at once to his college status. In the grand scheme of things, Jaune needed to readjust his world view. Sure it was considered an average day at the office when something exploded, someone got hospitalized, or a brawl broke out or the panther got loose but that was for the sake of entertainment. Outside in the real world, there was no stunt doubles, safety nets, animal tranquilizers, or highly skilled doctors who were paid top dollar to discreetly treat all manner of wounds, some life threatening others minor.

Jaune probably grew up with such irregular activity that he couldn't differentiate the wilds and the production studio. He got tossed out three story windows all the time in the films, why was his roommate doing so any different? Because she wasn't a freaking paid star and there weren't any cameras rolling. Sure he came out of it fine because of his experience and some conveniently placed bushes but in a normal world, he could have been seriously injured and that was a big issue.

Jaune, at this point, made his boss swear not to seek legal action on his behalf and to drop the matter. No one got hurt, he understood now that what happened was not ok, and he would deal with it later with Yang when she wasn't busy. Mostly because he didn't want to interrupt her having hot passionate sex with some random person. He knew her schedule by heart right now to avoid stepping on any toes, she was probably getting it on right now.

Still, back to the matter at hand, the boss laid out in simple terms that while Jaune may have been fine with a lot of things happening to him at college because in his mind it wouldn't matter in two or three more years when he graduated and became an actor full time, it was still a big deal if he got legitimately hurt. As such, the boss wanted Jaune to swear to stick up for himself a bit more and take less abuse from everybody, especially his blond harlot roommate who needed a good lesson in discipline and that cold hearted bitch heiress could use an attitude readjustment and that bookworm could have made due with a friendly persuasive lesson herself and that cute little prodigy needed some gifts and ooh the butterflies.

Jaune wisely hung up the phone, realizing that his boss was in the middle of one of his 'magical' self-enlightenment journeys which was hippie speak for getting high off some recreational drug to think of the next big project plan. Which was quite telling now that he thought about it. The chief of Creative Productions was a wise older man who knew the ways of the world yet here he was, giving life advice while tripping on what sounded to be some very strong stuff. Jaune wasn't sure whether to be impressed, dismayed, or even to follow the advice given anymore seeing as yes, the man who told him what to do was on something for a good seventy percent of the time.

"Maybe I should call the Chief Writer…see what he has to say…" Jaune mused out loud.

"Why would you need to call a Chief Writer?" A voice asked of him.

"For advice about…" Oh crap, quick brain, think of a distraction, "um…uh…how to write…the good stuff?"

Jaune met Blake's deadpan stare head on before flinching away and holding his laptop up to shield his face, "Have mercy I'm frail and afraid of you."

Blake sighed, rolling her eyes before shutting her book. While she didn't want to give up valuable reading time, she did promise Yang under the threat of Ruby's puppy eyes to help out in this strange cause so…

"I can help you. With your writing I mean."

The blonde man blinked rapidly, staring as Blake cleared a space for his laptop and patiently waited for him to sit down next to her.

"Uhh…you don't really have to if you don't want. I mean…it's nothing serious like an assignment or anything and you look like you were in the middle of a good book so I could always-"

"Sit down before I make you."

"Yes ma'am!"

His computer was open and ready and he was scrolling through a mess of folders at a quick place, trying his best to find some random document for her to read and dismiss. He knew Blake had a certain taste for certain literatures of certain genres and he definitely and foolishly had a few of them saved but he would be damned under threat of castration before he let that slip out. So instead, he opted for one of the earlier screen plays that he helped write, a production that was approved and was the early breakout for his Virtuoso character.

"Here, tell me what you think."

Blake scooted closer, eyes roaming across the screen as she took in the title and the words. She had a simple plan, just read a few lines, make a few idle notes and some simple criticism before jumping into the bigger picture.

That plan was derailed after the second line.

She couldn't help it, her eyes kept moving and her finger kept tapping to scroll down. She was engrossed and she couldn't stop. The writing style wasn't her usual taste and the genre struck her as a simple action story, maybe some sort of wish fulfillment but then she started to see a picture being painted, an idea being expanded upon with characters that were flawed and realistic slowly develop over the course of an adventure.

It wasn't till she reached the part about the main protagonist having to disguise himself in a female's dress to get close to rescue his love interest from the clutches of the evil wizard that was close to dominating the world but was lording it over the common people before she felt a gentle shake on her shoulder.

"Blake? Earth to Blake? You ok in there? You can stop reading if you have to, it looks like your brain is turning into mush."

The black haired girl reared back a little, eyes blinking a bit before she glanced over at her companion.

Blonde doofus he may be, he apparently had a certain ability to write stories…maybe she could-

Wait, damn it. The plan, stick to the plan.

But the masked main character…

Ah, screw it.

"It was really good Jaune. Not bad at all for a first try. I would recommend that you don't make the main character so…boorish though."

"Boorish?" Jaune asked, his inner psyche bristled. How dare this insolent little smut reading pest, "What do you mean…ah exactly?"

"I understand that there's always the appeal of a strong silent type hero but that's usually reserved for video games and the ilk. In a story, you want the main character to be more expressive, to show more emotion. I find it interesting to read how he approaches these things and how he treats others but I don't think a big demographic really wants a broody hero. They have plenty of those and writing one into all these kinds of situations doesn't really mesh well with the setting. Especially his other party mates and how he interacts with him. The character arc is-"

 __\\_ Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time~ _\\__

"Oh sorry gotta take this," Jaune said as he dug his phone out of his pocket, "Uh…oh crud. Oh sorry Blake, I'll have to reschedule this talk with you later. You can finish it all next time, I gotta get going five seconds ago. BYE!"

Blake blinked, seeing a transformation come over the Blonde man. Before he was a little slouched, slightly tucked in on himself to take as a little space and become unnoticeable but instead now he looked to straighten up and expand. She idly noted he was tall and confidence looked kind of good on him. Still, it didn't really stun her until he had grabbed all of his things within the blink of an eye, stuffing it all into the crook his arm before dashing away with his mouth moving a mile a second as he talked rapidly to whoever called him.

Blake blinked, idly looking around as if wondering if she as alone in witnessing such a strange sight. Jaune Arc never really struck her as the speedy or agile kind of guy and she had never seen him run off like that for anything until now. Shortly into the second year and she was learning things about him that she should have noticed before but didn't until now because she had a friend who wanted to get into his pants.

Normally Blake wouldn't be dragged into such shenanigans but Jaune intrigued her. After the whole debacle of who got what seat in her little hidey hole in the library, it was quite relaxing to have him around. He supplied snacks and kept to himself fairly well. She needed this hidey hole for when she needed to unwind and relax and she debated about the harsh consequences she would commit in the name of keeping her inner peace if Oum forbid, he ever told anyone else about this place.

No, this was Blake Belladona's nest, her home away from home.

Yet Jaune was here.

And he, despite her trying, somehow became synonymous with it. It wasn't a bad thing per say, just unexpected. Blake didn't care for any of the males in her life right now, not when her books provided all the imagination and fascination a healthy female mind like hers needed but still she could feel it even now.

She couldn't get back into her novel, not without Jaune here.

The girl sighed, palm coming up to rest against her cheek.

"Who are you Mister Jaune Arc?"

* * *

A/N: For the love of all things awesome and badass, I suck at keeping schedules. Oh well, at least it's not like I sat around wasting time.

-Looks at Civilization 5 and Overwatch-

That's different.

-Looks at 500 hours of assorted clicker games-

Ok, yeah I messed up.

Sup readers, I'm back with another installment. Been trying to avoid the month update schedule, wanted to do earlier but with school turning up and my internship kicking off, I probably have less time than before. Don't worry, I'm not stopping, though. Probably going to focus all my energy on this fic and finish it before I do anything else so don't worry.

So first things first, I just wanna give a big thank you to all the people who reviewed this story. 153 reviews is quite an achievement in my book and breaking the hundred mark this easily had never been possible for me until now so again, THANK YOU ALL. For the general gist of everything, I expected the divide that happened with some people not liking the direction I'm going in.

That's fine. I understand my brand of humor and sense of writing might turn some people off but I'm hoping that you came to read entertaining randomness and came away happy rather than for a super serious, super epic story-telling. I mean I would love to pull off both but right now, I just want to have fun and make it fun.

So yeah, expect some chaos, maybe some out of place readings and anime-esque inspired type scenes but don't assume that's all I'm going to do. I really want to make this work and I value any and all feedback from anybody so keep them coming if you can.

Now that that's out of the way, time for some good stuff.

Good news, next chapter should be faster coming seeing as I originally just wanted to do a full 12k chapter but my beta readers sat me down and whacked some sense into me so now I got about 8k worth of words to refine and fix before putting up.

Right now, I just wanna say in terms of where this story is going and the direction I'm moving forward with, this story is just about done with the intro chapters. The next chapter should be the finishing of the 'hook' or why these main characters need romance and then we'll get to see some nice YangXJaune goodness. (Not that way, get your mind outta the gutter.)

Other than that, I'm hoping to follow this simple motto. So long as people like my stuff, I'll keep making it. If I can make you crack a smile or inspire you to do something else, whether it's because I sucked at it and you wanna do better or I just gave you a really good idea, then I feel confident enough to keep going.

Thanks for all the reviews, and see you all soon.


	5. Curtain Rise

"Yaaang! You promised not to do this. Every time, you always drag everyone into your little plots and make everything so hard on our friends! Why can't you just ask him up front about everything?"

Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose both walked the public streets together, the older of the two sisters hefting a shopping bag and a dog leash. Zwei, the family pet corgi, was an adorable little fluffy animal that pranced everywhere but was smart enough to understand the rope binding its collar was the limit of distance. The dog in question was yipping around Ruby's feet, trying to gain the attention of the black haired with red tips girl.

"Rubes, cmon. This is different."

"No it isn't," Ruby whined, "You did this back home and you're doing it again now. I know that you like sleeping around with boys and sometimes a girl and I don't mind it but do you think dad won't say anything about it? And especially when he catches wind of how badly you've been treating your roommate? He pays for our tuition you know and he told us not to make trouble."

"I'm not making trouble. Not for me, not for you, and certainly not for Jaune."

"Is that why you're trying so hard to get any kind of dirt on him so you can pin him down and ravish him?"

Yang stopped and gasped, staring open mouth at her _baby sister_.

"I read that in one of Blake's books. Don't worry, I'm not at that exact age yet. Even with someone like you around."

"Bwuh?"

"Oh cmon sis, I'm not stupid. Got into Beacon early remember?" Ruby said while gently clonking her head with her knuckles, "I notice things. A lot of things that you don't think I would understand but I do! And right now you're trying your hardest to sleep with my friend Jaune for some reason! You didn't care about him last year! And now he suddenly gets thrown out the window and you wanna kiss the boo boos away? You didn't see him like that before!"

"Ruby…it's different with him all right?" Yang said as she dragged a hand through her wild mane. Her beautiful blonde hair swayed in the breeze, attracting a few stares that turned from idle curiosity to full blown allure.

Yang ignored them all, well used to the looks.

"I know I don't have the greatest track records with guys…or girls. And I definitely don't want you following any of my footsteps when you get interested like I did.1 I blow off steam and love everyone equally and everyone loves me equally. That's the deal usually. With Jaune, I just wanted him gone at first because I didn't want to share a dorm for the next 4 years with some random nerd, even if he was your friend. Then I find out all these great things about him and all this stuff he does for me and suddenly he looks like husband material and I can't help but want to jump his bones. I mean, I'm not saying that I would date him and only him, but I have to admit he's a better catch than most."

Ruby skipped backwards, maintaining pace and distance with her sister, "Annnd?"

"And he treats me like a human being, not just another conquest."

"Mmmhmmm."

"Plus, he shares a lot of our interests and does a lot of nice things for the both of us despite how much of a bitch I've been."

"You're forgetting one major thing~"

"And I'll apologize to him for tossing him out a window on the third floor just because I got super angry to him rejecting me. And I'll do it in a way that doesn't involve sex."

"Damn right you won't! Remember sis, you may hold all the blackmail on me because I was the awkward little baby sis but I still got all the cards when it comes time to give dad a call!"

Yang sighed in a dramatic way, the back of her hand laid across her temple as she gazed upwards with her eyes closed, "Oh woes is me, what happened to my adorable little sister that always needed a warm glass of milk with cookies and a kiss before bed."

Before Ruby could retaliate ala doggie missile Zwei, the two girls stumbled across busy crowd that seemed to be milling about outside some store front.

"Ooooh, wonder what's going on here."

"Aw man, they're blocking the entire street. How am I going to get to the store now and return this dress?"

Ruby giggled, eyes rolling. Her sister called that flimsy article of clothing a dress? Please, it was a miracle she ended up wearing her usual red and black combo of slight punk but overall cute outfit. No slightly overly revealing outfits that left little to the imagination for her no thank you. And the color yellow, yuck.

"That face you're making makes me want to hit you," Yang growled, "But I'm going to show you mercy today and instead decide to figure out what's the deal."

Yang sauntered up, hip sway on full display and charm turned on. She scanned the crowd, noting some familiar faces from campus and some other store attendants, owners, workers, etc. that she met and knew and had the pleasure of learning a lot about.

Not in bed, mind you. She had a fiery passion that burned bright as the sun, not an insatiable urge to mate with anything that had a pair of legs thank you very much. Learning about the people who did her hair and clothes and nails meant that they took care of you, simple fact of shopping anywhere.

And it was with this in mind, she latched onto Sun Wukong. Mostly because he was the closest but also because she didn't want to really try anything too risqué right now or spend the effort of trying to remember all the names of the helpers.

"Hello Monkey Boy."

Sun was the stereotypical surfer boy without the attitude and affinity for adding dude into every sentence. He still used the word a lot but only when referring to friends. He also had a really bad tendency to steal, a kleptomaniac that did it more to screw with his friends rather than to actually maliciously take something for monetary or personal gain.

Unless it involved bananas. Then all bets were off.

Which was why Sun was affectionately known as the Monkey Boy around campus. Legends foretold of a great prank pulled, of a blonde man who hated to wear closed white shirts, with a body of toned muscles that committed one of the greatest and most epic pranks in all of Beacon history.

And it was all foiled because Sun elected to snatch a cart full of bananas at the last stage and gorge himself into a stupor where he was summarily caught. That poor old man, crying about his lost banana cart gave the game away.

But besides all that, the sheer fact of the matter is that Sun had the balls to do a lot of things to people regardless of authority and power and in such a manner that could be endearing to some and annoying to all but mostly let's focus on the endearing part because that just who he was, a precocious little scamp that just wanted to have fun.

Which is why Yang liked to visit him on a bi-weekly basis. The two were like kindred spirits with the way they lived and while there were some minor sparks, both still accepted the intimacy for what it was and didn't make it any more than a passing fling. That and he was fun to hang around and he was fine to do something else than just party in the sheets.

And also because there were rumors that Blake and Sun had the hots for each other and if Sun could just pull her head out of the books, he might just get a girlfriend outta the dangerous ordeal of separating one Miss Belladona from her reading.

"Ah, Yang. Nice to see ya! Oh hey Ruby, didn't see you there. You two doing some quick shopping?"

"Returning something actually. Too bad this crowd is blocking the way…and the store keeper is right there ahead of us. What is all this?"

Sun's eyes widened, "You mean you didn't hear?! I mean well Yang you're understandable because you don't really follow this stuff but Ruby you didn't hear?!"

"What? What what what?!"

"The Cock Mouth guys are hosting a public Ask Me Anything and signing for one of their front line star cast along with the guy who taught him everything. The Virtuoso and The Director are slated to come out here for a meet and greet for the next two hours. It was all over the blogs and news!"

Yang dope slapped the idiot, miffed that he used the joker name rather than the actual one. She was familiar with who he was talking about but obviously not on the same level as her sister. Speaking of, Mt. Rose was just about to erupt and the elder child sighed as she prepared for the fireworks.

Ruby started to shake in place before exploding upwards. Yang and Sun followed her trajectory before Sun calmly tapped the guy in front of him to move forward and held out her arms, catching the buzzing little red riding hood before she splattered onto the ground.

"OHMYGOSHHE'SHEREHE'SREALLYHEREWHYDIDN'TIPAYMOREATTENTIONGAHIHAVEOTRUNANDGRABMYPOSTERSORSOMETHINGORHAVEHIMSIGNMYCAPEORZWEIANDAHHHH!"

The two blondes both sighed, used to the excitable nature of the young Ruby Rose. Yang tuned out her baby sister quickly and looked around, wondering if she could possibly force her way up front to the table set up.

"Man, I didn't think there were this many fans here of the Company. You think they'll get through everyone here?"

"Knowing the main guy and how much of a hardass he is, probably not. I mean he's probably going to even toss people aside if he wants….hey I just got an idea. Yang, you think you can lay the moves on him and see if he'll be willing to take care of us first?"

"I doubt it, seeing as we'll probably need step ladders for him to even see us. Man, there has to be a way to get up front quickly that doesn't involve me flashing everyone here to cut spaces."

Sun grinned wolfishly, well aware that Yang was joking when she said that but still enjoyed the loveable image.

"We should call Weiss! She'll be able to get us up front!"

Yang and Sun shared a look. On one hand, it was abusing their friend who had money and connections. On the other hand, Ruby was giving the puppy dog eye look with Zwei helping so denying her at this point guaranteed a spot in the Hell that tortured souls who made little girls and their puppies cry.

"I'll give her a call and we'll see what she says. That's all I'm promising."

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

Back in the store that was generously donated to the cause of the meet and greet, things were going smoothly and everything was set to go on schedule.

"Panther got out of its cage again!"

"I don't think we have enough flame retardant clothing compared to the amount of fuel for the fire."

"Guys, I taste blood. I mean like not the fake stuff we got but actual blood. You sure we got the props and not the emergency transfusion supply?"

"So does anyone think we should tone down on the sword fighting? I'm not sure if we have enough time to properly duel and kick each other's ass."

"Ok, good news is I got the panther back. Bad news, I think it ate two interns. Oh wait it just burped up some glasses, that makes three."

This was the noise that the Virtuoso walked out into. The transformation from gangly and awkward blonde teen into perfectionist actor and masked mysterious individual was not a long overt process but did require more than the mask. It was not so much as the mask made the man as the man made the mask. In this case, Jaune had carved out in painstakingly detail each contour and line into several different variations of the his one 'hidden' face. He wore them all for separate occasions and some rarely more than once but always, always did he make masks to let his other side bleed out and experience a type of new life each time.

It also helped to make a funny skit where an intern wandered into his room where he hung the masks and decided to screw with his mind by having his fellow employees wear them and freak out the kid. He took it well but only after he chased him down and tackled him into a river did the intern stop freaking out about the invasion of the masked bandits and get back to work.

"Places, places people. We start in five minutes. You there, bring the panther to the back stage and film his part for the recap. You there, the sword fighting will not be toned down but can be adapted. Do not finish on stage but leave it halfway upon exit. Let me taste that, this is the new synthetic blood we bought yesterday. The previous version was not authentic enough for me. You there, bring me a sliced pineapple and a warm glass of water and then make an intern eat it. That last request is for my personal amusement, DON'T QUESTION IT, JUST DO IT. PLACES PEOPLE, WE COME ON SOON."

The Virtuoso paused, staring at the sight before him.

"You there, explain to me why one of the interns is convulsing on the floor."

"Uh…he's having a stroke? Or he could be practicing…I'm not sure."

"I see. Call emergency services and make sure he doesn't foam all over the rug."

"Jaune, you got a moment? Need to speak to ya."

Only one man got away with calling him by his actual name while wearing the mask. All others learned the hard way not to. Then again, only a select few people even knew who he was.

"What is it, Director?"

The director was a man in his late twenties, dark blue hair and for those of you who will insist on this being described, was _not_ muscle-bound. Come on, this was a man who spent most of his time indoors shouting out a megaphone, editing movies and in hospitals for one reason or another. He did not have DBZ-sized muscles like their bigger buffer actors did. That said, just because he didn't look the creation of a Greek God that obviously thought textbook human physiology was too uncool and unrealistic for him didn't mean he didn't look good. He had a physique that's usually called _lean_. Words and phrases like 'whipcord' and 'wire' are usually thrown about somewhere. It was like someone took an average person, replaced all the fat with adamantium, then tightened the skin a little.

We shall call this man Kiga.

We now end this slightly out of place and kinda homo-erotic interlude and get back to our regularly scheduled program. Would you like to pass by our gift shop on your way out? We're having a sale on Virtuoso hats and lamps.

"C'mon man, you can stand to lighten up a little. Doesn't matter to me whether you're in or out that mask, you're still my protégé and friend."

"What is it, _Director_?"

"Yeesh, tough crowd. All right look, the higher ups wanted to get the people of Vale more involved with our upcoming shoot so they decided to go a bit further than hosting our weekly recap here with the crowd. Instead, we get a raffle going plus a trivia set. Winners get merch and stuff but the big take-away is apparently first place gets to star in the next movie…alongside you."

Kiga had been with the Company for a while. Almost as long as Jaune had been in his childhood years. But while Jaune had a loving mother to drag him home every day to make him study important things like math and science, Kiga didn't. He was an orphan from a tragic accident that was adopted post haste when it came to the attention of the owner of the Company, a personal friend to those who were lost and a favor to them.

Kiga took the man's kindness and turned it into his own personal flair and used it to raise through the ranks and master the art of production and managing. He did this all without an actual scholar degree of any sort and was hailed as a genius from a young age. He did all of this simply because he had no other ambition, no other choice or want than to pursue the career before him and excel at it. He wanted to bring the Entertainers to a worldwide franchise in his lifetime and damn it, he was going to do it whether or not his adopted father was on drugs or not.

Naturally, when Jaune came along and started getting involved, Kiga saw a similar story in the young boy and took him under his wing. While he himself would love to have Jaune take over his job one day, it was already obvious the man was committed to his current path on being one hell of an actor. That was fine by him honestly, he wasn't going to beat the kid senseless for choosing a slightly different path and it wasn't like Kiga didn't take the time to participate in shoots here and now.

Granted, he liked delegating all the really cruddy segments to Jaune, happily content in his ability to do so and threatening anybody who said otherwise with termination of employment.

So it was with all this knowledge and experience with Jaune in the mask that he could tell, simply by body language and the tilt of his head, that he _was_ _ **furious**_ **.**

"No, absolutely not."

"Look man, as much as you don't want to, you kinda have to."

"I told you, I told the boss, I told EVERYONE this. I will not work with amateurs. I will not sully my time with fools and lost causes. I do not care if this random person we pluck off the street is the next coming of Shakespeare or one of his playwrights that just needs polishing, I will not work with _boorish dull civilians._ "

"Ok, on the off chance we get someone with some actual talent, what then?"

"The chances of that happening are as likely of the Company going a single week without someone getting injured. In the name of all things beautiful and artistic, this was during **safety week** and we couldn't last the hour."

"Yeah we really do need to revisit our safety regulations. But! That's a conversation for another time. Look Jaune, you really can't do anything about this. I can't do anything about this! The boss' hands are tied behind his back with a gun to his head. Ever since those damned Occupied Monitor guys bought out our parent company, they've been calling the shots and making sure we ain't pissing our funding down the drain on twenty percent props and eighty percent booze."

"We only did that one time and it was during St. Patricks. I felt it was justified and understandable what we elected to do with our budget that day and we still made it work."

"Mostly because even when piss drunk out of your eyes you somehow can still wax poetry and recite your lines with perfect clarity. Man that was a hilarious short. Anyways, I make no promises but I've been talking with the guys and they said they can possibly rig the thing so your candidate pool is more selective of people who have acted or skills to compliment acting. Barring that, we got some of the brighter people from Beacon in the crowd so maybe you might be able to point out a theater major or something."

Jaune paused, a sudden nervous ache developing in the pit of his stomach. This would be the first time he would be performing his persona in front of his fellow college peers and he worried they would recognize him. His awkwardness started to return and Jaune nearly started hyperventilating behind his mask when a sudden jolt knocked his sense back in.

"That will do," He intoned normally, "This discussion has been enlightening but now I must go."

"Right, you know I'm coming with right? Here's to hoping me being there makes it so less people want to tear you apart and take you home."

Jaune stared at his friend and tilted his head.

"I'm going to beat you with a wood carving of an Emmy in your sleep tonight."

"Yeah, love you too buddy."

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

Entering onto the stage amidst a blinding cacophony of flashes, The Director and The Virtuoso both quietly dodged past the duelists who were still engaged in their battle to the death and sat down at the table. The elevated position allowed for them to screen raised hands and peer out over the crowd, the bustling crowd and constantly flashing cameras would have been nauseating if not for the simple fact that these two were used to it.

Sitting down, one plopping like he was dead tired and the other gracefully settling in, both performers calmly waited for the buzz to die down as they settled in and started the scheduled interview before the audience could get involved. Presented to the spectators were two elegant and shiny plaques that read _Director_ and _Virtuoso_ respectively. One of the crew members, dressed to blend within the environment but noticeable enough to the keen of eye, was recording the two on the side.

A white haired reporter with amber eyes smiled beautifully at the two as she tapped her recorder pen against a notebook before twirling it and flicking it on in one smooth motion. A disheveled helper, clothes torn from claw marks and small splotches of suspiciously crimson color dotting his shirt, handed her a microphone before popping open a first aid kit.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, my name is Lisa Lavender, reporter on behalf of Vale News Network. Thank you so much for donating your time today to interview and host a meet and greet. First question, what inspired you to do this?"

"Well Lisa, the answer is quite simple. You all know how the Entertainers are a group of nomad actors that do whatever they can for their fans because they believe in a great vision of excellent entertainment and shared happiness. We decided to do this thing today because honestly, Vale is such an amazing place and we needed to get out here and tell you all that. YOU HEAR THAT YOU DELIGHTFUL BASTARDS? WE LOVE YOU!"

The crowd's roar could have overcome an explosion.

"Such a lovely start! Do you have anything to add Mister Virtuoso?"

Jaune locked eyes with the reporter, gaze unflinching and set in stone. He waited patiently, to see if the reporter understood that he was not going to answer anything so long as Kiga was here. He was eye candy, nothing more.

But this particular woman seemed to be made of tougher stuff and she only kept her pretty smile and unabashed stare as she waited for him to respond.

"You all are wonderful fans and consumers of art. So long as you all continue to watch, we shall continue to produce."

Some girls, and boys, fainted. Jaune internally sighed.

Here he was, making people go weak in the knees and he needed a carved mask and a deep voice to do it. So much for his childhood dreams of being a teenage heart throb and source of female attention.

It was at this moment the one part of his mind that once thought of that being his dream was brutally silenced by the majority via baseball bat. Metaphorically speaking, his mind apparently worked in clever visual metaphors that existed to visualize the abstract concept of thought. In this case, multiple mini versions of his normal appearance, his actor appearance, and the one beaten to death teenage version.

His brain was funny like that.

"Thank you. Now then, second question! What's your next big project?"

They shared a look before speaking at the same time, "Classified."

"Aw, not even a hint?"

"Classified. Next question or you get none."

If Lisa was offended by the curt tone he used, she didn't show. Still happy for interviewing two actors from down below a stage, she continued onwards like a champ. The questions became quite normal and common. Some funny stage names, some previous shorts, ages, general stuff.

But it wasn't until her last question that really made Jaune pause.

"Are either of you in a relationship?"

An interesting question and conundrum, something Jaune hadn't thought of in a very long time. Kiga fielded the question and stalled, knowing when Jaune was too conflicted to provide a proper answer. The blonde man started to think, and I mean really think, about his taste in women and potential attraction to anyone. It was strange, how his mind suddenly latched onto the idea of a girlfriend. There were plenty of potential partners to pick from but they all…seemed to dislike his normal self.

There was Weiss but she was cold to his face and he stopped trying when he realized she didn't want anything from him. There was Blake but she seemed more likely to focus on her books and the fantasies inside than him. Ruby was an option…but ultimately an executive choice of no pursuing. She was just too cute and too little sister for his taste. There was Nora, the hyperactive Queen of the Castle that broke legs as much as she ate pancakes. Then Jaune thought about it some more and realized if she wasn't going to break him in half from living with her, she was going to do so in bed (That poor bastard Ren). That and he was fairly certain Ren had already staked a claim and she was enforcing it (Seriously, that poor lucky bastard).

Was there anyone else?

Pyrrha Nikos the athletic star of their generation? She was nice but then again she was nice to everyone. That and she was always so busy it never looked like she had time for anyone. There was that really hot tanned intern awhile back but he sizzled that thought when he realized how awkward it would be if they got too close and something happened. Pure definition of don't eat where you shit right there.

Anyone…else…?

Wait…Yang. Blonde, strong, passionate, and doting when needed. She hit plenty of the 'flags' he looked for in a potential partner and she was beautiful to boot but that wasn't important. She was promiscuous, always looking for another night of fun but always diligent and studious when needed. She was loyal to her friends, protective of her little sister, and quite capable of kicking untold amounts of ass.

That made things all right.

Wouldn't it?

 _No you fool, it wouldn't be._

She was ravenous in her appetites. Always looking for the next bed companion. She spent countless hours in the bathroom, taking care of her hair and using all the hot water. She never paid him heed towards outside the room, always off with her own circle of friends and never acknowledging him outside when they had to.

She tossed him out a window! On the third floor! For intruding on her nookie time.

Jaune nearly slumped down, forgetting about his public persona for a moment.

No, wait. The Virtuoso nearly slumped down, almost forgetting his posture.

That was who he was right now and from the path he walked, the person he was going to be when he left college. He had always entertained the dreams of his friends, asking politely where they wanted to go or what they wished to do later on. He didn't answer back, never as fully as they did at least. He already knew his destiny and there was no point in changing course now.

Which was why it being so frustrating.

Yang wouldn't want him for him. There was no way she would ever want him outside of the mask. He was a nobody on campus, a nerd with the lowest social standing possible. She was the Yellow Goddess, hotter than the frickin' sun. No way would she ever want to be with him for any reason. The Jaune, the normal young man who just wanted to do good in the world, would never be able to make Yang happy.

The Virtuoso, the elegant perfectionist that dominated the acting scene, he would be on equal standing with her in terms of society. Maybe even higher. The Xiao Long name had a bit of a weight to it what with its business ventures that was dwarfed by the Schnee corporation but still nothing to sneeze at. One Mrs. Raven Branwen, the current CEO of all of its ventures, was an intimidating figure to behold. If Weiss had her cold façade to go through, then Yang only needed one call to her mother to settle anything.

How would Jaune Arc compare to that? Maybe Jaune the Virtuoso would have a chance.

A famed actor to the young lady of a powerful CEO would sound normal in the eyes of society.

He even thought about revealing himself.

Yet he didn't want that. He would never want anyone to know the true face of the Virtuoso. Let Jaune Arc hide away in the shadows and be the young kid he should have been; the graceful perfectionist would lead the reins on this life. The sheer pressure that would be placed upon him if he were to be outed during his college academic life?

He wouldn't be able to graduate amidst all the hounding fans and reporters now that they knew where to get to him. And if he failed any classes and couldn't graduate? Then his mother would crush the very Earth they walked upon in the act of putting her foot down! He would never see a production studio or an acting scene again! She would find a way to break his mask and his face before chaining him down back home and having him made into a stay at home bum!

If he couldn't act anymore, then he couldn't live!

Jaune wasn't sure but he was fairly certain a significant part of his being, a very intricate connection of his soul, depended heavily on acting and expressing himself creatively. He would literally wither away and die if he could never act again.

His mother would probably allow him small time shows here and there but if he never had the degree and smarts that she wanted? Then he could kiss the big screen good bye!

"Psst," One blue eye honed in on the face of his friend, "I told them you were thinking of your past many conquests. I'm not sure if you wanna elaborate or not but they're all waiting."

The eye trailed back over to the crowd and started to lazily trace the faces of the many fans, picking apart many of the wild differing features and fashionable people watching him with abated breath. He felt his hand twitch, as if he was reacting to some external stimuli before clenching slowly as he rose. Behind his mask, he felt his mouth twist into a grin. Mind as well put on a show.

"Like a flower in the dawn, she blooms," He crooned as he stalked forward towards the crowd, close enough to nearly touch them all, "Within the carnage of life, she dances. She is beauty and she is human. She is poetry and she is sublime."

Hand over his heart, face skyward, he continued to deliver, his sudden inner introspection driving his words and his actions.

"She is divine and she is…?!"

He nearly choked on his last word.

Yang stared back at him, face easily spotted in the front row as she seemed to lean forward with her friends and wait for him to finish. They were all there, the girls he just all went over in his head like picking meat! Oh Oum, what the hell was going on with him? He felt his cheeks heat up, feeling no small amount of mortification about using all his female classmates as romantic inspiration when they were right there and listening! Was that it? Was that the source of unpleasant feelings?

Damn it! He couldn't do this!

No wait he had to do this! He prided himself on his acting and he would be damned if he couldn't deliver!

Ok, all he had to do was ignore them…no wait but then maybe some of them could inspire him further than his thoughts…but then he would be staring dead at all of them…and now he was stalling!

What else could go wrong?!

 ***Bang***

Instincts drilled into him by learning under a very loose safety code made him immediately duck. The plastic bottle of water that was next to him on the freebie table that was going to be used for signings exploded.

Slowly, with a practiced saunter, he turned around and faced the Director.

At some point, the man had stripped shirtless and grabbed the rifle without him knowing. He could see some females and a few males drooling, staring at his torso. The blue haired man was leaning forward, picking up a lit cigarette from the table as he stretched left and right while holding a rifle behind his head. The man puffed some more before letting out a sigh of contentment.

"Is there a problem, _Director_?"

"Relax friend, I was aiming for the bottle. Just trying to make a point."

"Oh dear, is he allowed to do that? Is…is that even safe?"

Jaune turned back to the reporter, Lisa, and chuckled. He finally seemed to unsettle her with the sound. That or the fact he was waving off such a blatant act of violence and treating like the lack of fire arm safety was the norm.

When it came to their acting and their partnership, such petty things like morals and dignity and safety were thrown out the window.

All in the pursuit of fame and glory. Passion and art. Entertainment of the highest caliber.

The hilarity of the recoding later when he beat him with a stick.

"It's normal. An icon doesn't have to explain himself."

"Oh…well…um would you like to finish your answer?"

Jaune gently worked a kink out of his neck with his right hand while lazily shooing at her with his left, "I stand by my statement. Your time is up."

The woman blinked before she cleared her throat and nodded. Scribbling one last thing down on her notepad, she thanked the two men for their time and handed the microphone she was using back to an attendant who by now looked more like a mummy with all the gauze wrapped around his entire torso. The nameless grunt walked up to Jaune and offered him the microphone.

"Hold onto that," He said as he ran some deft fingers over the instrument before moving back to return to his seat, "Or give it to the fans. It doesn't matter."

The haggard man looked down at the tool in his hands before sighing as he realized what just happened. The Virtuoso had signed it in the span of a second. He was now holding something that bore the signature of the star that the crazed fans admired. He had enough time to start to curse before being mobbed, the voracious fans descending upon him all in mad frenzy to grab the microphone.

Jaune chuckled evilly to himself when he returned to his seat.

"Bit petty don't you think?"

"He shouldn't have dropped me when he was working the cable ties."

"Oh come off it man, you said it made the shot better didn't you?"

"Of course it did, doesn't change the fact he still made me land on my head."

"You're thick skulled enough that it doesn't matter."

"Maybe next time you can take my spot and trust the amateur to do your wiring."

"Pfft, please. As if I would ever let that happen."

The two men bickered back and forth, nearly forgetting their public setting. Thankfully, before it came to blows, the two were reminded via teleprompt cards being dropped on their heads that it was time for the public portion of their requests before the signing.

The two actors settled into their seats and checked the equipment before Kiga leaned forward and breathed into his microphone.

"So, who gets to go first?"

The crowd roared. Some held up signs, others jumped and waved like sugar addicted children off their ADHD medication.

Oh wait that was Nora.

"Uh wow, ok. You there, orange haired bubbly girl that looks liable to break legs if we don't pick you. What's your question?"

"DOES YOUR NEXT SHORT INVOLVE PANCAKES OR SLOTHES?!"

The Director and Virtuoso shared a look and the blue haired man shrugged.

"It can if you want, in fact, how about both?" He said cheerily into the microphone, "…annnd there she goes."

While Mt. Valkyrie erupted in excitement and started to clobber the people around her in pure unbridled uncontrollable enthusiasm, the much calmer and haggard looking friend of hers raised his own hand while somehow loading what looked like to be a tranquilizer gun in the other.

Quite impressive actually.

"The man in the green with the pink slip of hair. What is your inquiry?"

"How do you approach productions usually?

"Oh that's simple. We first get an idea and put some decent thinking into it before we try putting it into practice and see where it goes. If the initial draft gets the ok and tests well, we continue forward to make it bigger and better. Time is out biggest factor and we do our best to ensure we put a hundred percent into whatever we do. Nothing is ever half-assed and you can bet your girlfriend's bubbly nature that so long as we got this guy involved, he's going to make us run drills either until we get it to his satisfaction or we drop dead. Usually the latter happens first."

"Thank you."

"Ok…you there, blondie who won't keep his shirt closed. What's up?"

"Are you guys looking to hire handsome blonde men with kleptomaniac tendencies for any upcoming projects?"

"That depends. How willing are you to get hurt in the pursuit of comedy and action?"

"The whole way!"

"Ok, so if I pulled a Taser gun on you right now and hit you twice, you would be willing to go for it?"

"Do I get to swear on camera and give shout outs?"

"I'll allow it," Jaune mused.

"Then sure!"

Jaune leaned over and whispered something into Kiga's ear which caused the man to bark out a laugh.

"Ok, you sound like you might have a future for us. Here's a deal, I'm going to have an intern stop by and give you a five pound gummy. You finish that thing before this whole shebang is over and I'll hire you on the spot. Who knows, you might also be good enough to skip the ritualist hazing too."

"All right!"

"If you come anywhere near me with your stink breath, I'm canceling any future meet ups," Blake deadpanned to Sun.

As the blonde dude tried to salvage the situation, the rest of the Beacon student group settled down and waited for the signings to commence. Nora was happily dozing on Ren's back as he carried her unconscious form around while the questions continued on. Some were quite standard and some got intimate while others were bizarre requests.

"No young sir, I will not sign your nipples. Nor will I sign the nipples of your girlfriend who apparently is completely okay with that. As a matter of fact, all of you pay attention to this. Me and my friend here will never be signing any nipples of anybody here…unless you provide gloves, written consent, and show us that you cleaned your nipples by rubbing sanitizer into them. No Oum damn it, that wasn't an invitation to do that now."

"Ok so just to be clear, you want me to come down there and start cursing in your face to kingdom come? Ok, all right, get your camera ready. Virtuoso, hold my rifle. NOW LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE SHI-"

"What lies beneath this mask? Very well them, I shall show you." Jaune stood up, "What lies beneath this mask…IS ANOTHER MASK!"

"Yep, hand to hand combat is the old school way to kill your enemies. Killing a man with your bare hands says 'We're all equals as men except I'm slightly more equal because I'm still alive and your dead.' Of course dropping a nuke on them from 50 thousand feet is totally acceptable. I mean let's face it, there just not enough time in this world to show everybody the courtesy of a good strangling."

"The Director is a good guy who doesn't take life too seriously. Of course, I can't vouch for his sanity, but we all have our faults."

"His insanity is where intelligence goes to die. MY insanity is where intelligence goes to do drugs, light themselves on fire, and jump off buildings thinking they can fly."

''His favorite hobby is staying up late playing with fire while laughing loudly.''

"What was the worse short I ever had to do? The one where I played an evil racist man bent on committing mass genocide against another human ethic group…twice. I essentially led a full on hate rally over somewhere North. Thank Oum I don't have any neighbors."

"Are you kidding me? Man's worst nightmare and biggest endurance test ever in the Thunderdome besides going out in a blaze of self-righteous glory with your bare fists? Being forced to listen to a teenage girl prattle on about her day."

"Thank you good sir for the chocolate milk. I'm not sure how good this will be but judging by how all of you just went dead silent and started whispering all creepily to each other, I'm going to assume that this is the greatest. Now if you could all stop doing that, we can finish this."

In the end, the line for the signing was starting to form and Weiss sighed before flashing her ID card at some of the security guards where they immediately made way for her and her group. The Ice Queen wasn't a fan of much of the content that the Company made but she wanted to show some cohesion with her group of friends by coming out. That and as much as she was loathed to admit it, she did enjoy an occasional video. In additional, her family had given some lovely donations over the year so they were always given a nice acknowledgement each year with free passes.

That and all the shops were closed for this thing. The evening was ruined in terms of shopping but she could at least get something for Ruby by letting her get her adorable little puppy be signed. Or well that's what the excitable girl kept saying at least. As much as she tried not too, Weiss wasn't immune to the wonders of a double puppy dog kicked look and it disturbed her how coming from both a little girl and a puppy could easily sway her.

VIP status secured, the group was easily shuttled to the front where they all spread out thinly and oolged the two famous people.

"Ah, the gawking of the adoring public, a feeling that would never get old."

"Careful there, buddy, you're starting to sound like a creep."

"The joke is played on you, my mentor, I am a creep."

The two continued to banter, even as they were presented with a variety of things to sign. Kiga scribbled his signature across journals, photos, the right side of Zwei's flank. Jaune flourished his marker with an elaborate twirl and spin while marking down his fancy name across Sun's abs, a journal that belonged to Ren, the back of Nora's palms, and Zwei's other side.

Ruby was a blushing stuttering mess, trying to articulate some form of the sentence but unable to say anything coherent.

"I think she's trying to say thank you and that she loves your work," Yang said with a roll of her eyes, "And that she hopes that the next short you do involves more explosions and weaponry."

"Such a demanding audience. First pancakes and sloths, now more violence with another helping of violence. When do you think it will ever end Virty?"

"So long as they want it then we shall provide it."

"HA! You heard it here, kiddies, our star is weak to the suggestions of his fans. Wink."

With the persona of the Virtuoso guarding his true emotions, Jaune calmly removed the bottom portion of his mask and laid a gentle kiss on each female's hands while giving a firm shake to the males.

"Once more, in my own clear words, thank you."

Kiga smirked, hoping Jaune realized he now set the bar and was going to be kissing a lot of hands today.

"Don't forget, we're drawing lots within the next hour. Grand prize is a big secret!"

As the Beacon group cheered and started to gossip amongst themselves about what the potential goodie could be, The Virtuoso and the Director both settled in and prepared for the long haul. The line stretched as far as the street going back two to three blocks and as much as the two wanted to fulfill every single request, time was a factor.

As such, they sped through what they could while doing a small favor here and there. As usual, it ranged from the mundane to the unusual but they did it all. Such was the passion and love for their loyal fans.

And when the time came.

"Remind me again why instead of a normal raffle draw we always strap someone to a spinning wheel and throw knives at them?"

"Because it's funny?"

"Well yes but it also seems a bit much."

"Don't worry, I'm ready for this guys!"

Sun Wukong gave a dazzling smile, bare-chested and securely strapped to a giant spinning wheel. One intern, who was munching on a pineapple slice, was reading off some legal rites to him while his companion, sipping on a glass of milk, was checking the straps. The crowd had quieted down, completely enraptured with the fact that they were about to see (potential) bloodshed and theatrics.

"So what happens if you guys hit him?" Ruby asked.

"Well that depends on whether he has insurance and the legal means to cripple us."

All eyes turned to Weiss.

"I would but he was the one to agree to it in the first place so I'm not sure how far we could go in court."

"Well then we'll probably just hire him then."

"Win-win for me!"

Jaune and Kiga stepped up to the plate, throwing knives in hand. One of them had a bright red handle, the knife that would denote the winner of the grand prize. The wheel started to spin, Sun making funny faces and shouting out warbled names as the speed picked up and he became a blur.

Kiga juggled his knives, twirling the sharp implements through his hands and in the air before shooting them off all at once. Jaune on the other hand, made more of a show out of his own body. Placing each knife within his jacket, he posed like he was about to dance before prancing forward, to the side, twirling, and then extending his right arm.

The thunks that followed told everyone watching that they had all landed on the wood and not in the fleshy body of Sun. The spinning slowed down and Sun, slightly green but still smiling like a champ, gave a weak thumb up. The interns quickly got him down and started to run a quick medical test for him while Kiga stepped up to the wheel and examined it.

"Ok, full disclosure, we had no idea what we were aiming for and the extra knives were in case we hit anything out of place…or for shits and giggles."

"In this case," Jaune said, "We did it mostly because we reserve the right to reject anybody as an actor and instead elect to give them plenty of free prizes. So if you hear your name, please step up."

Kiga, idly scratching his chin, gestured to the Virtuoso to get ready.

"Ruby Rose."

"OHMYOUMYESS!"

"Gets a goody bag."

"Noooo."

"Weiss Schnee."

"Present!"

"You get…free movie tickets to our next screening. You can bring…three friends!"

Weiss groaned as she was suddenly surrounded by said friends, half of them giving her puppy eye looks, "Swell."

The rest of the knives were counted off before the grand reveal of the grand prize.

"And our winner is…YANG XIAO LONG!"

The crowd erupted as a good majority of those present knew exactly who that person was. Some more intimately than others but overall, a very positive reaction was given.

The blonde in question was surprised but shrugged, no reason to say no actually. It could be fun at least. And if anything, she had something to help distract her from college and friends and sex and Jaune.

Speaking of…where was that blonde geek? This entire event would have been his thing.

"Excuse me, madam," A slightly muffled voice broke her out of her thoughts, "But you still have a choice to decline."

Yang refocused on her masked benefactor and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She would admit, he was mysterious and had a nice body but his attitude rubbed her in all the bad ways. She couldn't understand why this man had such a huge following, one that included her sister. And while he was a good actor, he was a shitty friend. She could tell from his past interviews and gossip around everywhere that the true nature of his mask was not to disguise an ugly face or to generate intrigue but to just be his defense against the world that allowed him to be a complete asshole in the excuse of good acting.

She was inclined to believe that, mostly because right now, he gave off the vibe that he really, really, _really_ didn't want her here on this stage with him and taking this prize.

Instead, she smirked.

"No one pal, I won fair and square so you're stuck with me. Now fork over the contract. Look out world, here comes Yang Xiao Long!"

The backdrop of cheers was the perfect accompaniment to the scowl that she knew this Virtuoso guy was wearing.

=I=M=M=U=N=I=T=Y=

Despite being mostly sedentary, regular morning exercise, afternoon and weekend training, and an 'interesting' life that usually involved age-inappropriate amounts of danger, Jaune had one thing going for him and it was the ability to just slip into a role.

He could go from actor to nerd to fool to badass to coward to geek to anything you wanted if you told him.

But always, he would be able to just slip off the burdens and just relax.

So here he was, freshly showered and slightly wired. Bean bag chair placed at optimal distance from big screen TV, game console set up and ready to fire up, drinks and snacks within reach.

Time to get his game on!

"I'm home~"

Annndd nope.

Resisting the urge to curse and definitely not in the mood to confront anyone about anything, Jaune made a move to get up and just beat a hasty retreat to his room. Maybe a night of online games would be better than out here.

"Oh Jaune, glad I caught you. Hey listen, you mind doing me a favor?"

Internally he shrugged but outside he smiled.

"Oh sure, what do you need?"

"Mind playing through some levels with me on Resident Evil? The AI ain't cutting it on the bigger difficulties."

Jaune paused, staring at his set up but conceded. There was no real excuse to deny her request and in the grand scheme of things, it was pretty tame. Also, he missed playing games with someone in the same room. Yang, while not as hardcore as him or Ruby, still had a bit of an interest in most ongoing series and he could appreciate some of her tastes in the art of virtual entertainment.

"Sure, lemme set up the game and we're good to go. Go ahead and take the bean bag chair, I'll grab mine from my room."

But before he could take one step further towards his room, two slender arms wrapped around his neck from behind and dragged him backwards. Normally he would react like a ninja and fight or even resist but the knowledge of who those arms belonged to and they nice soft touch soothed his instincts and instead let him be pulled in.

"Nuh uh. You're staying right here with me tonight big boy. I need someone to hide behind when the big bad monsters try and get me and you look tasty enough to be a nice distraction."

"But we both will have guns!"

"Doesn't matter, now settle in."

Jaune didn't raise anymore fuss, allowing his mind to just focus on the game despite the intimate position they shared. Yang was just about hanging onto him, her leg even pushed under his arm and entwining through his chest as she hugged him close. Jaune mused that she either really didn't like the scary portions of the game or just needed a quick something to block out the sights.

Either way, it wasn't all bad. And it wasn't like she had some ulterior motive to try and seduce him right?

 _"There's a support group for those who don't understand anything female, I believe its membership is roughly half the population of this world. Now stop imagining me as your go to devil on the shoulder._ _"_

Jaune resisted the urge to chuckle, the chibi devil version of Kiga scowling at him in his head.

Inwardly, Yang cursed that another one of her favorite tactics failed but didn't say anything to ruin the mood.

In the end, the two of them immersed themselves into the game, finding comfort in the silence beside the video game sounds. No words needed to be said between the two and both were content to just whittle the night away, playing a game they both enjoyed.

Jaune let his worries slip away, forgetting about his future shoots and discussions, his eventual confrontation with Yang over her actions and his forced interaction with her on the job.

Yang mellowed out, letting the fire inside cool off to an ember as she forgot about her issues of partners, her sexual needs, her urge to jump Jaune for being Jaune, and her future planned training and shooting with that damned actor.

Together, they forgot and together they relished in the relaxation.

Because come tomorrow, nothing would be the same.

* * *

A/N: Man, I overshot hardcore. I tried to keep to a two-week update but instead, I came out with nearly a double chapter.

Oh well!

So here we are folks, out of the first stages and into the body. I know that a good number of you didn't really like my choice of direction in terms of where Jaune came from in his background but it's too late to turn back now and I already decided to stay my course. Granted I had this planned for awhile now and while I probably could have executed it better as some of you pointed out, I'm doing my best honestly and I admit, I really dropped the ball on that.

Once again, oh well!

So yes, here we go! Plenty of humor got that drama going nicely (hopefully) and some minor fleshing out of the world we choose to live in. I'm not looking to drag this out to a lot of chapters but hopefully just good enough for you readers to be satisfied with what I've done.

Because just like how Rooster Teeth does it, I'll keep making it if you keep wanting it!

So read, review, worship the log, eat some pineapples and drink some milk to this CRAPPY FIC I MADE WITH DEEZ HANDS!


	6. Preview

Jaune was used to his and Yang's dorm room being a revolving door of lovers coming in and out. Where Jaune had taken to being serious about his studies and even a literature program couldn't shake his desire to keep acting in his free time, Yang liked to party, and partying often meant that either she didn't come home, or more often still, she came home with boys or sometimes even girls. People, Jaune rarely ever learned the name of as he kept himself holed up in his room, gaming into the deep hours of the morning or running off into the night. He owned an excellent pair of headphones to help block out a lot of the noise when the banging started, and it worked for the most part. A few people were exceptionally loud still, but most just kind of blended together.

One really stuck out for him, though; when he woke up and went to the kitchen for some caffeine, only to find Blake wearing an oversized t-shirt and literally nothing else, bent forward and burying her head in the fridge. He had, wisely, just slowly backed out of the kitchen and into his room where he waited with ear to the door until he could hear that it was safe to leave and get started on breakfast.

It was one of those events that made him just reevaluate his view of someone. He used to be surprised all the time when he first started his work at the production company but over time, after all the blood, tears, screaming, and sirens, he got used to all the exotic and crazy things the human mind can perform and as such, adopted an adaptive mindset. Rare were there times when someone outside of his work surprised him overtly.

Yang was an enigma. She just wanted to do whatever she wanted however she wanted and whoever she wanted and he was fine with that. And the fact that she could do so with close friends and somehow not turn them into awkward situations down the line? More power to her.

And well where was he to stand in the way of such passion? She wanted love from everybody and if they wanted to give it to her then no harm, no foul. He didn't mind that he wasn't included in that list and at this point, he was fine with it. Sure, she evolved from just being mistress who hired a butler to a sister who started taking his stuff but with all the money he had and all the work he was doing, he didn't really mind.

Now if she could maybe stop trying to drag him along to go out and do stuff with her friends because she pitied him, then everything could go on as normal. It wasn't that he was anti-social or anything but he was pretty much anti-social. Coming onto campus and making a fool of himself through three different cases of public embarrassment was hard to fix, especially when everyone was gossiping about anything.

Jaune long since stopped trying to play his suave card for the girls that would give him the time of the day. He simply resigned himself to joining the literature club, the chess club, the gaming club, just about anything that was considered nerdy or unmanly he had joined through some unspoken word. Any sports team looked at him like he wasn't fit to be the water boy and the jocks of the school made him a common target for just about anything.

He didn't really care honestly. It got old and boring after the second time someone tried to lock him up in the locker rooms or knock his books down like it was some stereotypical high school drama. He just learned to avoid all the negative attention and let it wash over him like the critics that tried to denounce him as an actor. Like in all honesty, he was past the point of caring. If he really wanted to, he could do something about it but then that would open questions, questions that he wasn't willing to answer.

No, better to be labeled as the nerd with no friends than rock the boat. Let the meatheads play their pranks, he wouldn't be the one with an unstable physically punishing job in the future that could potentially lead to long term negative effects.

Then again…he did unprotected stunts for fun that often ended up with someone getting hurt and hush money being thrown around. He also tended to throw himself in harm's way in the pursuit of art and well…sometimes that pursuit led him off cliffs. Or out windows. Or into the jaws of a predator. Or doing all the above while on fire.

Maybe he was overthinking it again.

Still, being known as biggest loser on campus had its perks. No one really cared when he disappeared for long periods at a time, no one thought much of it when he spent countless hours typing away in the library, and no one tried to mess with him when he was cooking in home economics because the last time someone disturbed his cooking, Yang had gone on an ass kicking spree.

And then she ate all his strawberry shortcake. The professor allowed it and gave them both A's.

=Immunity=

She loved that cake. It was the best damn cake she had ever eaten. And woe befall the next unlucky fool who tried to take it away from her.

Yang was used to being big girl on campus. With her friendship established with Weiss the Heiress and Pyrrha the Alethic Goddess, very few people could claim to hold that much popularity and influence over the student body like she did. Sure, there were some contenders but when it came down to it, Yang Xiao Long was the Queen.

And the Queen had her tastes. Rawr.

Jaune Arc was an enigma to her. Even with the impressive resources bought to the table through Weiss' help, she just couldn't crack open the puzzle that surrounded her roommate. He was a gamer, a nerd, a cook, and somehow, he disappeared for hours at a time into the dark yet acted like it was nothing special to be awake or gone for so long.

If he was some secret party animal or DJ, she would have heard of it. If he was sneaking off to work at some late night sordid job, she would have heard of it. If he was getting laid, like all the time, she would have heard about it.

That and be insanely pissed.

Here she was practically throwing herself at him and he was going out and potentially banging other chicks? Nope, not possible.

Ever since she (stupidly) tossed his butt out the window and he came back, she was on eggshells with him. The butterflies were there rumbling around in her tummy and she cursed the fact that even with all her experience of the sexual nature, Jaune could just smile and she would be blushing like some virgin school girl.

Damn it, that should not be possible!

But it was. He was husband material all right and whatever instincts drove her to go around and sleep and have fun zeroed in on him and she just wanted him. After all the good deeds he's done and all the horrible things that she had to apologize for, she wanted him to understand this much.

She cared about him. Maybe it could be something more but right now, she liked him because he treated her like a person and respected her wishes. He had done so much for her.

=Immunity=

"I'm sorry."

Jaune, working his way through a pancake, slowed his chewing.

"Sorry for what?"

Yang stared at him. Seconds ticked by and Jaune started to squirm.

"Uh…I accept?"

Yang closed her lilac eyes and breathed deeply before letting it out slowly, "I'm sorry for almost killing you."

Jaune blinked.

"When was this?"

Yang gawked at him before her eyes narrowed in frustration.

"When I tossed you out the window!"

"Ooooh. That. Yeah don't worry about it. I came out fine."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

Jaune could only firmly take in the fiery visage that was an infuriated Yang Xiao Long. Luckily the plates didn't go scattering to the floor from her hands slamming down.

"I got angry at you for no good reason! I've treated you like shit since I got here and you just took it all! Well that stops right now! Stand up for yourself! Tell me to do stuff! I'm trying to fix things but you won't let me fix them!"

Jaune weathered her diatribe with the practice born from listening to a worried mother nag his ears off. It was a nice refreshing memory from home that he happily drew from.

"Yang, it's _fine_ ," Jaune said as he stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders and made eye contact, "I didn't get hurt. I'm still here, I don't hate you. As far as roommates go, you've been one of the better ones. Yes really. Don't take this the wrong way but you don't even make top ten."

"Top ten? What could be worse than what I've been doing?!"

"Well, there was the drug dealer," Awkward stare, "And the split personality disorder man who crossdressed," awkward stare got more awkward, "And probably the dude who just didn't like clothes so he walked around naked. All. The. Time."

The awkwardness was immeasurable and Yang found enough strength to just mutter, "How?"

"My father liked to offer room and board to people passing by. Let's just say that there was a few bad apples of the bunch. But yeah, I'm used to dealing with weirdoes and such because of that and believe me when I say you're not as bad as you think you are. I don't mind cooking for us and I don't mind doing cleaning. It's cathartic for a guy like me because I grew up with seven sisters."

Stare.

"Yup, seven. And lemme tell you, it was not easy."

"Oh Oum."

"You just imagined seven Ruby's running around didn't you?"

"So much…cookie dough…"

Jaune couldn't help it. He let out a chuckle that slowly morphed into a laugh. Yang herself cracked a smile before joining in and the two just let the tensions melt away.

"Ok, but seriously. I'm going to do shopping and cleaning now. No buts. It's been nearly two semesters at this point and I just don't feel right letting you do all this after all I've done."

"If you really want to. I'm not going to say no but I wouldn't want you to cause trouble for yourself."

"Trust me…it's the least I could do."

=Immunity=

Other than that, Jaune was fine with the lovers coming in and out endlessly. It was just a thing that happened; Yang was on time with her share of the rent and bills, and so long as she didn't dip into Jaune's store of food stuffs, he didn't feel the need to comment on anything.

Breakfast was a muted affair. Instead of the usual set up of three servings, there was only two.

Jaune was putting the finishing touches on the French toast when Yang came back with a fresh bag of cartons of juices and galleon of milk. It had been interesting, seeing Yang pick up the slack on some chores and force less upon him. Grocery shopping had been one of those minor things that Yang just started to do around the place instead of forcing him to take care of it.

Cooking and cleaning was easier when you didn't have to constantly worry about the stock of ingredients and had a friend pick up the missing items.

"So…what's your schedule for today?"

Jaune didn't really become fazed anymore by the question. The first time she asked him that he thought she had been stricken with a fever and rushed off to go get some medicine. After he returned and was smacked in the face with a pillow for jumping to conclusions, Yang had explained that because she now had to worry about acting for the part she won on top of school and club activities, she would probably miss meeting with him like they usually would at certain times.

That and she didn't want to miss any of his breakfasts or dinners as much as possible. They had been such a cost effective and delicious routine that abandoning them now would drive her up the wall in madness.

Ain't no force strong enough on this Oum forsaken planet to make her miss one of Jaune's now infamous cooked meals.

Still, Jaune made concessions for her and started making lunches in addition to breakfast and dinner. They left around the same time anyways for classes and on the evenings, that she would be acting, he could catch up on some solo games or homework before setting things up for the next day.

At least, that's what he told her.

"I'll be back here around four o'clock. I'll probably get started on dinner at six and then end the night in my room at nine after the dishes are done."

"If I'm not back by the time you're finished, just start without me. And leave the dishes for me."

Jaune gave her a look that Yang just sighed at.

"Yes, I'm going to do the dishes from now on if you cook the food. It's the least I can do."

Jaune seemed to pause before giving her a small smile, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Yang's face suddenly turned lecherous, "And maybe afterwards you'll let me crawl into bed with you?"

"Haha, very funny," Jaune said as he put things away.

With his back turned, he didn't catch the look of disappointment on her face.

"So what about tomorrow?"

"Hm?"

"Oh you know, tomorrow is Friday, the prelude to the weekend. Everyone wanted to take a stroll out and maybe hit up the mall. Why don't you come with?"

Jaune paused and then thought about it. He could do with an update on his wardrobe and he had been eyeing some games recently. If anything, destressing by grabbing a bite to eat in the mall's greasy food court didn't sound too bad.

That and if he had his way, work would be finished by the end of the day and next week they could get started on the next project.

"That sounds great actually. Uh, you don't think anyone would…mind would they?"

"Who Weiss? Nah, if anything she'll just ignore your existence and be on her phone. Ruby's obviously cool with it and Blake probably wouldn't care. Nora might run off and Ren will have to chase after her while Pyrrha gets dragged along for the ride and I think Sun was going to bring his group of friends too. So it'll be a big party on the move."

"Ah, that does sound pretty cool. Ok, should I meet you somewhere or anything?"

"Just be at the front gate of school after you're done with your classes. We'll leave once everyone gets there."

"Awesome. I'll get things done here and then we can go."

=Immunity=

"Try again."

The words were spoken in that insufferable muffled tone that just made Yang want to break his mask along with his face. Two hours in and she already had to restrain herself from hurting her teacher more times than she ever did for anyone else in her life, including the idiots that thought they could treat her like she was some street walker instead of a certified badass.

The courts might not have agreed but they saw her way of thinking when her mother got involved.

Anyways! Back to the current situation of having to stop herself from doing something she might regret.

"Try again."

Like ripping off this stupid man's mask and beating him with it.

Yang Xiao Long growled low in her voice.

"You wished to do this part and as per our agreement, I am teaching you."

"You're teaching me how to dance!" Yang shouted back at him, "I signed up to do an action heroine skit, not some frilly froo froo dance montage!"

The Virtuoso didn't say anything before tilting his head and letting his eyes bore deep into her own. Blue as deep as the sea met fiery red as hot as the sun. The two butted heads since day one and two days had gone by with not much change.

Yang was used to dealing with negative attention, the kind that involved insults and gossip about her actions. That was fine. She was also fine with having her mother always angry or disappointed in her. She didn't care. What was different now though…

"Try again. Once more, this time with feeling."

His voice was like he demanded respect and only offered contempt. He didn't sound like he considered anything his equal. The very way he carried himself was as if he was the king and you were the insect that was to be swatted.

But there was a tiny part, a little bit of inflection that sounded like he genuinely wanted her to be her best.

It infuriated her.

Yang grumbled as she got to her feet and tried the routine once more. Three days in, countless continuous hours, and all this wannable big screen actor kept saying to her was-

"Try. Again."

Ugh!

"I don't get what I'm doing wrong! You're not helping either!"

"You're thinking too much."

"What?"

"You are out of your element," he intoned as he stalked towards her, "You keep thinking both in and out like a boat being tossed around in the ocean. Do not do that. Free your thoughts and just let your body move."

The Virtuoso struck a pose before executing the dance steps that she was practicing without stopping. Yang had to admit, he was elegant in the way he moved.

"That is what you must achieve. This is only the first part. Once more."

Yang narrowed her eyes as she glanced back at the manuscript she was given. It was a thick booklet, filled with dialogues and footnotes along with stage instructions. She had only gotten through the title page before it was ripped out of her hands and she was forced into a yellow sun dress that was comfortable and practical. Already she could feel her feet aching, forced into unfamiliar moves and told to act without practice or proper direction.

It had been two hours since they started and she didn't even know what the first scene was going to involve. Only that she was dancing to a tune no one else heard except for her annoying mentor.

"Stop. That is enough for now. You may rest."

Yang scoffed as she plopped herself down into a nearby chair. Spying the manuscript, she reached over before recoiling as a gloved hand smacked down a top of it. A second later and she would have been hit. And then…well that wouldn't be the last one and she was pretty sure she was going to win that fight.

"You do not need this. Not yet."

"How am I supposed to act or learn my part if you won't let me _**read**_ anything?"

Muffled soft breaths were all she heard as the veteran actor leaned closer.

"Reading will not help you move naturally. Reading will not make you comfortable with your body. Reading will not help you _**act**_. This routine was made in mind to teach amateurs how to properly move their bodies."

The Virtuoso leaned back and suddenly thrust a water bottle in her face.

"Drink. You will recover and you will master this art. I demand nothing less."

"Hmph," Yang guzzled her liquid down quickly, idling noting her teacher had somehow finished his own without removing his mask, "You know I only want to do this thing because it sounded like fun right? Wouldn't you get in trouble if you made me quit?"

"Much better to earn the ire of the producers than for you to damage our reputation."

"Hey! In case you didn't notice, I can bring in the crowds! Or was your mask squeezing your brain too tight to see how mostly everyone there was cheering me on?"

"The college population was but a small drop in the vast ocean. There are many many others around the world that watches our works. We may be based primarily here but to the East, the West, the North, and the South, we can find fans. I will not have our admirers disappointed."

"You sound like you're trying for a hundred percent approval rating. News flash, the world doesn't work like that. Especially the way trolls work. You see some of the comments on your videos?"

"The words of fools mean little to me. I choose this labor and give my passion because there is no greater feeling, no greater joy to experience in seeing someone become entertained…to be, happy and laugh at what we do."

He stalked over, pulling out two books. They were white and black, both covered in idyllic drawings and symbols. Bringing them over, he offered them to her. Yang opened the white one first and slowly leafed through pages, reading about all the positive reviews and feelings of enjoyment from the Company's works.

"Our critics may offer their judgements and thrive on their negative criticisms, but a bitter truth they must face is that in the grand scheme of life, their words are no better than the average piece of refuse. Can a critic always make a child smile? Can a critic always spread joy? My appetite for the creative arts may not touch everyone in the world but to those that it does, it means everything to me to ensure that they are never disillusioned."

The black book was mostly clippings or printed snapshots, comments and articles lambasting the Company and decrying all their works. The pages were filled with negative criticisms, most of it was constructive but few were just simple trolling.

"Life is beautiful and it would be a shame to let others decide how to live it," He picked up both books and placed them back in their shelf, "That's enough of a break for now. Once more, with feeling."

Yang nodded her head, a faraway look in her eye before shaking her head and gaining a determined face.

"Let's do this!"

=I-M

The mall itself was large, way larger than any mall Jaune had seen before. With five floors and taking up a ridiculous amount of downtown Vale City, the mall was a shopper's paradise. Crowds of people moved to and for, every store lit up and trying to entice shoppers to come in and browse their wares as multitudes of people browsed.

Couples on dates, families taking a trip, shoppers looking for good deals or gifts, hobbyists indulging in their vices, the list of people went on.

Jaune Arc didn't complain as the pile of shopping bags and boxes he was carrying started to climb to the ceiling. He didn't complain when his own vision was blocked by all the purchased goods and he had to focus on the chattering of his fellow peers to keep in step with them. And he didn't complain when he ended up tripping and elected to hit the floor first and act as a cushion so none of the fragile goods would be damaged.

Ruby was doting on him with a cold can of soda and some napkins while everyone was picking up their stuff. Yang was shooting him glances, an apologetic look on her face as she had the biggest haul out of all the girls there. Jaune waved off her concern and all their apologies, he was the clumsy one who failed to keep everything in check.

The shopping trip progressed at a sedate pace after that. He was still carrying quite a collection but the girls had left him just enough space so he could see where he was going as he trailed after them all. Being an errand boy and having to carry excessive amounts of clothes and shoes and other girly stuff was nothing new to him and quite honestly, it was good exercise.

"Ok girls, I got one more spot to go to. Why don't you all grab us some spots at the food court and then we can head out?"

If Jaune was paying more attention, he would have noticed some sort of byplay and messages being sent through body language between Yang and her friends. Instead, he was going to open his mouth and offer to take her bags before he was blindsided and all the stuff he had been carrying was taken from him.

With a gentle shove forward, he was pushed into the waiting grasp of Yang who happily told him that she needed his help grabbing this last item and that he could worry about everything else later.

Confused but not questioning, Jaune shrugged his shoulders and accepted his fate.

The two weaved in between the throngs of people, Yang clenching his hand tight as she led him somewhere. Jaune felt it a little strange to how tightly she was holding his hang but decided she was just trying to make sure he didn't get lost and waste more time.

"Ok, here it is! Tada!"

Jaune blinked and looked up at the name of the store before slowly trailing his eyes downward and examining the mannequins on display.

"Oh wow…got a special date soon?"

"You could say that. C'mon, I need a professional male opinion on these."

Being tugged along and into the store proper, Jaune found himself plopped down and told to stay in the one spot like a good puppy as Yang flounced around and seemingly teleported into the changing stalls with about ten different outfits.

The madam manning the cash register gave him a wink as he sat and waited. Jaune didn't really feel too out of place despite all the other patrons whispering or staring at him. In the end, sole male in the store only focused on the stall Yang went into, electing to just do what she said so they could leave and eat.

Then the curtain opened and she came out in a daring lacy piece.

"What do you think?"

"Looks comfy."

"That's it?"

"…It looks pretty?"

Yang gave him a flat look before going back inside.

The process repeated itself numerous times, Jaune just saying the same things as he couldn't really tell what she wanted to hear or look for. Yang looked to have gone through half of the store's stock by the time she declared they were finished with a huff. Not buying anything and the madam giving a sympathetic look to the young lady, both left and went to join the group.

Yang arrived at a slack pace and collapsed into her seat, internally wailing and smothering Ruby in a hug.

Everyone shot him a look that he couldn't decipher but he assumed it was nothing good.

" _Girls are weird."_

* * *

-Claws his way out of the grave-

I'M ALIVE~

A/N: Not much to say, sorry for being MIA for a year. Goal is to finish the story soon and move on to other projects. College sucks, etc.

Also curious, would anyone want a review response in the chapter? It would inflate my numbers but I would like to clarify things for those who ask.


End file.
